


Katekyo Hitman Reborn: Version Varia

by WendyMcTorry



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: F/M, My Character's Affect on the Original Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2016-04-14
Packaged: 2018-06-02 07:25:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 41,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6557227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WendyMcTorry/pseuds/WendyMcTorry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maya, a regular sixteen year old girl, goes to Italy and find the Varia! But suddenly all traces of her favourite anime have disappeared, possibly because all the characters, and even Namimori itself, have appeared in the real world. Maya helps to rehabilitate the Varia and show them the light, falling in love with Bel along the way!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Katekyo Hitman Reborn: Version Varia

So, the craziest thing happened to me. I decided to go to Italy for a vacation. When I was in Venice, you’ll never guess who I ran into. VARIA! I’m talking Katekyo Hitman Reborn Varia. Bel, Squalo, Lussuria, Xanxus, Levi, and Mammon. I was probably the most excited I’d ever been in my entire life. So, let’s proceed with the story, then, shall we? 

“Italy!?” I exclaimed.  

“Yeah! For your sweet sixteen gift, we’re taking you to Italy! Isn’t that exciting!?” My mom asked.  

“Yeah! So exciting! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! When do we leave?” I asked anxiously.  

“Tomorrow morning. Better start packing.” My dad smiled.  

“Everyone is going!” My older brother, Cory, excitedly yelled.  

“Holy crap this is the best day ever! Mom, Dad, Cory, Anne, and I are going to Europe! This is going to be the best vacation ever! Thank you sixteenth birthday!” I exclaimed as I ran up to my room. As you may have guessed, I got zero sleep that night. But, I got caught up on the plane.  

“We’re here!” My younger sister Anne exclaimed, running off the plane.  

“Wait up a minute, Anne!” I screeched as I ran after her. Pretty soon, she got too far away and was lost.  

“Voooiii! That was another boring job!” I heard a familiar voice say.  

“Stop complaining. If you didn’t do it, then I would have had to. Better you than me. I am a prince after all. Ushishishishi!” Another familiar voice retorted.  

“Prince?” I asked myself. I turned around to see who the two familiar voices belonged to. I was shocked to see a real live version of two of my favourite anime characters. Belphegor and Squalo, both from the Varia squad in the anime Katekyo Hitman Reborn. 

“That excuse is lame!” Squalo complained... very loudly.  

“Shut up!” Bel said back. 

“W—what?” I asked myself, slowly backing away.  

“Voooiii! Stop looking at us weird!” Squalo exclaimed at me.  

“Hey, who are you?” Bel asked. I was speechless for a second, but then was finally able to answer.   
   
“M—Maya. M—Maya Allan.” I answered, still backing away.  

“What do you know?” Bel asked.  

“Just that you two are awesome cosplayers. Honestly, you two look like the real Belphegor and Squalo from the Varia.” I said. I had finally calmed down and realised that they couldn’t possibly exist.  

“How do you know about us!?” Squalo exclaimed.   

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Yeah, we’re just cosplayers. How much do you know about our characters, though?” Bel asked.  

“I know pretty much everything there is to know. The ring conflict, how you guys came and saved Tsuna’s family’s butt—” I explained, but, I was interrupted by Bel putting a knife up to my throat.  

“Vooi! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Squalo complained. “We don’t have time for this!” 

“She’s coming with us. She knows too much. But, don’t worry little girl, if you cooperate we won’t hurt you. Ushishishishi!” Bel laughed as he forced me to come with them.  

I did as I was told. These two may be two of my favourite characters, but I knew enough not to mess with them. And, who knows, if these two were real, maybe they could lead me to the other Varia members, like Lussuria and Xanxus, or maybe even Tsuna’s family.  

“Oh, who’s this cute little girl you’ve got, Bel?” Lussuria asked as soon as we arrived at Varia HQ.  

“She knows about us. She said something about a ring conflict, and she knows about our rivalry with Sawada Tsunayoshi and his ‘guardians’.” Squalo put sarcastic emphasis on the word guardians.  

“You’d better let the boss see her.” Levi suggested.  

“That’s why I brought her back, idiot.” Bel stated the obvious.  

“But, you could be a little easier on the poor girl. She’s probably scared half to death.” Lussuria said. “I’ll take her to the boss, and I’ll make sure to give you the credit, Bel.” 

“Fine. I was getting sick of her shaking anyway.” Bel said as he finally took the knife away from my throat. I stood there looking like a deer in headlights. I was so confused, but so excited. 

“Come on, sweetie, I’ll take you to the boss.” Lussuria smiled and extended his hand.  

“This is, like, a dream come true. I can’t believe this.” I said as I took Lussuria’s hand.  

“What do you mean?” He asked.  

“Meeting all of you. I’ve seen you in the anime Katekyo Hitman Reborn. You are all so awesome! Bel is creepy, Squalo is vicious, but they both get better ten years into the future. You get a little less competitive and even more sensitive in ten years.” I explained.  

“I see why you brought her here, Bel. The boss will definitely need her. If she really knows what’s going to happen in our future, than we can use her.” Lussuria said.  

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m not going to tell you very much about your future. If I did that, I could change the future by either preparing your for certain situations, or making you overconfident, and easily outsmarted.” I explained. 

“I’ll never be outsmarted.” Bel frowned at me.  

“Well, I don’t know. One time, you were this close to being beaten. In fact, your life was saved by someone.” I told him the outcome of his battle with Gokudera in the ring conflict.  

“I don’t believe you.” He said.  

“Fine. It doesn’t make a difference to me whether you do or not. Soon enough, it will happen.” I said. Then, Lussuria and I left for Xanxus’ room.  

“What do you want, trash!?” Xanxus exclaimed after Lussuria knocked on the door.   
   
“Hi boss! I’ve got a girl here who knows a lot about us. I think you might want to talk to her. She could really help us!” Lussuria explained.  

“Fine. Come in.” Xanxus ordered as the door opened.  

“Here she is, boss!” Lussuria showed me off.  

“What do you know about us?” Xanxus asked, getting straight to the point.  

“I know about your past with Vongola the ninth. I know about your future with Sawada Tsunayoshi. I know about the ring conflict that’s going to happen.” I listed.  

“What about my past?!” The Varia boss demanded.  

“You had a dying will flame, so your mom took you to Vongola the ninth. He took you in and raised you as his own. You were determined to become Vongola tenth, but, when you found out you weren’t really his son, and you had no chance of becoming Vongola tenth, you freaked out. He froze you, but, you were melted. Now, you’re going to steal the Vongola Half Rings and pick a fight with Tsuna.” I explained. 

“How did you know we were planning that?” He asked, very interested.  

“It’s all in the anime ‘Katekyo Hitman Reborn.’ I love that show and watched all 203 episodes.” I answered.  

“Reborn? Do you mean Reborn the Arcobaleno?” Mammon asked as he appeared.  

“Oh, sorry Mammon, I only give out information for money. Pay up.” I teased.  

“See! She even knows some of our habits, like Mammon and his greed.” Lussuria observed. “Bel brought her back when she recognised them and said she knew a lot about them.” 

“Show me this anime.” Xanxus ordered.  

“Sure, but, I’ll need a computer and internet connection.” I said.  

“Lussuria, get her the laptop.” The Varia boss ordered.  

“Yes, boss!” Lussuria smiled as he went off to fetch the laptop.  

“This computer has all of Varia’s information. Vongola the ninth doesn’t even know some things that are on here. If I see you try to steal information from us, you’ll be dead, trash.” He threatened.  

“Yes, sir.” I agreed. Lussuria finally returned with the laptop. I turned it on, and searched ‘Katekyo Hitman Reborn’ on Google Chrome (Dokuro). Nothing came up. “What? There’s nothing showing up. I should be able to watch episodes of this online.” 

“You lied, trash.” Xanxus exclaimed, pointing his gun at me. 

“No, I didn’t, I swear! Everything I know about you guys is from there! Sawada Tsunayoshi is the main character. The only things I know about you are your interactions with them. During the ring conflict, we get to hear your back story.” I explain.  

“There’s only one way to settle this. Tell us everything about the battles, and if they end up being true, then we’ll believe your story, trash.” He suggested.  

“I can’t tell you everything. If I did, you’d know just how to defeat Tsuna’s family. That would change the tide of the battle.” I object.  

“So you’re saying Tsunayoshi wins!?” The Varia boss roared in anger.  

“No, no, no! In the ring conflict, there are seven battles, as you probably already know. Each battle’s winner gets the ring of that element. The team with the most rings at the end wins. Tsunayoshi and his family do win some of the rings, just like you Varia members win some of the rings. But, I can’t tell you who wins it all. I can, however, prove that I know this, by telling you the order of battles.” I explained.  

“We need to win. If you don’t want to die, tell us everything about the battles.” Xanxus demanded.  

“I can’t! I’d rather die than change these events. If I change even the slightest thing, the entire world could change in the future arc.” I objected.  

“Future arc?” Lussuria questioned.  

“Shit, I said too much already. Anyway, the order of the battles are;  Sun, Lightning, Storm, Rain, Mist, Cloud, Sky.” I said.  

“If you don’t tell me more, I’ll have to get Bel to make you talk.” He threatened.  

“No! Bel is too much for the poor girl. She’s told us plenty already.” Lussuria objected.  

“Lussuria, you trash, don’t you want to win?” Varia’s leader roared.   

“Of course I do, but, we’re Varia! There’s no way we’d lose to a bunch of little kids. This Tsunayoshi kid won’t be able to get any really good guardians, so, we’ll have no trouble beating them. Or, do you not thing the guardians you handpicked are good enough?” Lussuria questioned.  

“If what this trash is saying is true, then we will lose some of the rings to that scum Tsunayoshi and his guardians.” Xanxus said.  

“Yeah, you’ll lose some, but, it could only be one or two. Do you really need to torture me if you get the result you want anyways?” I asked.  

“She’s right, boss.” Lussuria sided with me. “This is the first girl ever to be let this far into Varia. I need someone to talk fashion with!” 

“Ugh, fine. Get this trash of my sight unless she’s willing to tell us more.” He ordered.  

“Thank you, boss! You can count on me! What was your name, by the way, sweetie?” Lussuria asked me on our way out of Xanxus’ room.  

“Tell Squalo to go take the half rings. We’ve gotten word that Basil has been entrusted by Vongola ninth’s Iemitsu” Xanxus ordered.  

“Yes, sir! Anyway, what was your name?” Lussuria asked once we left.  

“Maya.” I answered. “Thank you, Lussuria. You really saved me back there.” 

“No problem, Maya-chan. And, call me Lussuria-chan.” He smiled.  

“Sure.” I smiled back.  

“What did the shitty boss say?” Squalo asked.  

“He told you to chase Basil, who has been entrusted to give the Half Vongola Rings to Sawada Tsunayoshi. Iemitsu sent him.” I explained.  

“Voooiii! I don’t take orders from fucking brats like you!” Squalo snapped.  

“But, Squalo, that’s exactly what Xanxus said. If you don’t do it, well, you know how he’ll get.” Lussuria explained.  

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m going.” Squalo said in his usual irritated tone as he left.  

“So, Maya-chan, are you sure there isn’t anything else you can tell us about the upcoming ring conflict?” Lussuria asked once we got to the spare room I was supposed to stay in.  

“No, sorry, I can’t. I only know what happens with the Varia when they’re connected with Tsuna. So, I know everything there is to know about the ring conflict with Tsuna’s group. But, I don’t know what you guys do in the next ten years. You are connected to them again in the future, though.” I explained.  

“Can I know who I’m fighting?”  

“His name is Sasagawa Ryohei. He is so awesome! He takes everything to the extreme! It’s actually quite hilarious. And, he’s got a younger sister, Sasagawa Kyoko. They are so close.”  

“Ooh! Sounds like an interesting match!” 

“Yeah. All of these conflicts are. But, my personal favourite has to be the battle for the Lightning Ring. You’ll see why when it happens.”  

“That’s Levi’s battle. What happens?” 

“I can’t tell you, I’m sorry. But, Levi is fighting a five year old child named Lambo, so you can pretty much guess what happens.” 

“Oh, no! The poor baby will get creamed!” 

“Don’t worry about Lambo. Win or lose, he survives.” 

“Who else is fighting us?” 

“Gokudera is fighting Bel. He’s Tsuna’s right hand man, and has pride the size of an elephant on growth hormones. But, he’s still really awesome and funny. Squalo will take on Yamamoto. He’s the calm one in the group who does his best to avoid fights. Mammon will be fighting...  Actually, not even Tsuna knows who Mammon will be fighting as of now, so, I’d better not tell you.” 

“He doesn’t know who his own guardian is?” 

“Nope, Reborn and Iemetsu chose them for him. If it were up to Tsuna, pretty much none of them would be his guardians because he wants them to be safe. Especially little Lambo.” 

“Yeah, I hope Levi doesn’t hurt the poor thing too badly. So, can I take a guess at who’ll win and who’ll lose their battles?” 

“Sure, but I’m afraid I can’t give any indication as to if you’re right or not.” 

“Of course, Maya-chan. I think that Squalo, Levi, and I will win. Bel, Mammon, Gola Moska, and Xanxus will lose. Tsunayoshi will be Vongola tenth.” 

“Why would you think that? Don’t you have faith in your team?” 

“I do. But, I don’t know who Mammon will be fighting. If Tsuna doesn’t even know about him yet, then it’s positive he’s strong. Maybe even strong enough to beat an arcobaleno. I think Bel will lose because, if he doesn’t, then we’ll win the conflict. The way you talked about our future, and how Sawada is still in it, made me pretty sure we’ll lose. Gola Moska isn’t even human, meaning anyone with strength and or smarts could find a way to bring him down. I prefer having actual people for comrades. Finally, Xanxus will lose because Tsunayoshi cares too much for his guardians, and won’t let them down.” 

“Uh... Lussuria-chan... I think the only reason I like the Varia is because I’ve seen who they are in the future. I’ve seen how you all have changed for the better. During the ring conflict, everyone was twisted and messed up. You enjoyed hurting people and took pleasure from their pain. Looking back on that... I don’t like it at all.”   
“Oh... we change in the future?” 

“Yeah! You turn out to enjoy helping people with your abilities, not hurting them. Even Bel has a lot less ‘Prince the Ripper’ moments. I’m glad you all change for the better. But, I don’t want to have to watch you guys be like that again. And, you used some dirty tricks against Ryohei.” 

“I’m sorry, Maya-chan. I can’t just stop trying to win.” 

“I’m not asking you to do that, and I’m not asking you to go easy on Ryohei. I’m just asking you to level out the playing field before it starts. And, to not enjoy fighting.” 

“I’ll try my best! I can see where you’re coming from. I’d hate to go back and see the people who I like do things I don’t like in the past, I’ll take your advice and not enjoy the fight as much and I’ll level out the playing field. But... what is the playing field?” 

“You’ll see. Anyway... I still want the outcome to be the same, so those good nice changes in you guys will happen. So, just pretend to be the same as you were? I just need to know that you really have changed underneath, that’s all.” 

“Can do! Anyway, I’m going to go to bed now. It seems like we’ve got a fabulous week ahead of us! We leave for Japan tomorrow!” 

“Really!? I get to go to Japan!?” 

“Of course, where else would we fight Tsunayoshi and his team?” 

“This is so awesome! Good night, Lussuria-chan! Thanks again!” 

“Good night, Maya-chan!” 

Lussuria went straight to Xanxus’ room.  

“Boss? Are you in there?” Lussuria asked as he knocked on the door. 

“What do you want, Lussuria?” Xanxus replied as the door opened.  

“I got more information out of Maya-chan. She’s a very nice and sweet girl. Unfortunately, she’s going to keep her mouth shut about how to win. It’s a shame. But, she did give me a brief profile of four of Tsuna’s six guardians! That’s a lot more than Bel could have got by torturing her.” 

“I guess you did well this time, Lussuria. Tell me everything.” 

Lussuria did as he was told and explained everything to Xanxus. The next morning, we flew out to Japan. I could barely stay in my seat I was so excited. Japan is every otaku’s dream! When the time for the first battle of the ring conflict came, I was feeling hopeful that Ryohei would still win. I didn’t give any information that could have given Lussuria any hints on how to defeat Ryohei... at least I thought I didn’t. The battle would, hopefully, be pretty much the exact same. I was put in handcuffs by Squalo and led to Namimori Middle. 

“Yay! It’s finally time for me to fight!” Lussuria said in an excited tone. I assumed he was keeping up the act I asked him to use.  

“The first battle will be the battle of the Guardians of Sun. Lussuria vs. Sasagawa Ryohei. Enter the ring, please.” The first Cervello said.   

“Hey, look who I’ve got here, trash.” Xanxus said, walking onto the roof with Kyoko in handcuffs.  

“Kyoko!” Ryohei cried. 

“Onii-chan!” Kyoko cried back.   

“Let her go! She’s got nothing to do with this!” I exclaimed.  

“Yeah!” Tsuna backed me up. 

“Hand over your ring and I will.” Xanxus said.  

“This is against the rules, Cervello.” Reborn said. 

“What is against the rules? Xanxus-sama is just with some girl.” The first Cervello said.  

“He’s using Kyoko as a hostage!” Ryohei points out.  

“Boss, that isn’t fair.” Lussuria objected.  

“Just hit him while he’s distracted, Lussuria, you trash!” Xanxus demanded.  

“No, I won’t.” Lussuria refused. “If that’s the way you want to win, then I will take no part in it. You’re not fit to be Vongola tenth.  

“You fucking trash!” Xanxus exclaimed.  

“Lussuria-chan! You’re a really great person!” I exclaimed happily. 

“I don’t understand. Why would Lussuria reject Xanxus like that? The Varia is known for dirty tactics, and yet they are being rejected?” Reborn questioned.  

“Kyoko-chan! Hold on! We’ll get you back!” Tsuna said.  

“No you won’t! If you don’t give the Ring of Sun up to the Varia now, I’ll kill her!” Xanxus threatened.   
   
“No!” Ryohei exclaimed. “Fine, you ca—”  

“No! Keep your ring, Ryohei!” I exclaimed at him.  

“I give up. Tsunayoshi, your Guardian of Sun wins this one.” Lussuria said, tossing his ring over to Ryohei. “I’m sorry. If I hadn’t told Xanxus you had a sister, he never would have known.” 

“It’s okay. You made up for it.” Ryohei smiled and shook Lussuria’s hand.  

“You trash! I’ll kill her now just to show you tra—” Xanxus began, but, he was interrupted by the sound of Collonello’s bullet flying through the air and hitting Xanxus’ hand. He was forced to let go of Kyoko. He had just arrived and picked her up with his pet Eagle and brought her to safety.  

“Onii-chan! You promised me you wouldn’t fight!” Kyoko exclaimed as she hugged her brother.  

“Sorry, Kyoko, but sometimes I can’t avoid it.” Ryohei explained.  

“I’m sorry, Kyoko, Ryohei-san, Tsuna-san. This is my fault. I knew Ryohei had a sister, and I told Lussuria about it by mistake. I’m sorry.” I apologised.  

“Voooiii! Shut up! There’s nothing we can do now! Lussuria gave up his ring, and we lost all leverage we had!” Squalo exclaimed at me.  

“No, Squalo, you shut up!” I exclaimed back. Everyone was shocked at this, especially members of the Varia. “I thought you were better than this! I know the people you are ten years from now, and they are good people! This ring conflict is supposed to change you into good people! Tsuna’s family is supposed to show you right from wrong, and get you to work together and become better people! It can’t fucking happen if you keep acting like dipshits who cheat! The one and only reason I liked the Varia was because you turned into respectable, yet badass, people ten years in the future! Everyone is better! Xanxus realises how valuable teamwork is, Bel has a lot less Prince the Ripper moments, Mammon turns into a respectable person... well, kind of, and Squalo become a great teacher, Lussuria enjoys helping people more than hurting them, and Levi... actually, he’s pretty much the same. But the rest of you are better! Now get your butts in gear and become better sooner so we don’t have to go through the shit we went through before!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.  

“Me? Turn into a respectable good person?” Mammon laughed.  

“Well, yeah, as respectable as a greedy little two year old can be.” 

“I’ll be respected when I’m Vongola tenth.” Xanxus said.  

“You have potential, Xanxus. You just need to use that potential for good, not bad. Once you understand that, even you will be a good person. And, Squalo, I thought you were a person who likes to fight fair and square. Even in this time, I never thought you would stoop to or even accept cheating.” I continued my speech.  

“You’re right. Normally I wouldn’t. But, I think I know more about the boss than you do! You don’t know what he’s been through! You don’t know how much he’s went through in hopes of taking over as Vongola tenth!” Squalo yelled.  

“Yeah, I do! If you don’t believe me, just ask Xanxus!” I exclaimed.  

“She knows about my past somehow.” Xanxus admitted.  

“Nobody who cheats is worthy of being responsible for people’s lives.” I said. Squalo then came over and undid my handcuffs. “Thanks.” 

“I guess I’m not a member of Varia anymore.” Lussuria sighed.  

“Get your ass over here, trash. Anyone who disobeys my orders gets punished. And, your punishment is having to put up with my shit.” Xanxus said.  

“Really! I can come back!?” Lussuria beamed.  

“That’s what he just said, now come on, we’re leaving.” Squalo said.  

“Tsuna,” Reborn began. “Remember that girl. She’ll be the key to helping the Varia stay on the right track. Whoever she is, she needs to stay with them. If not... we might just be in big trouble.” 

And, with that, both sides went home to rest up for the next day’s battle.  

“You were amazing today, Lussuria-chan!” I beamed as we returned to Varia HQ. 

“It’s all thanks to you. I really took what you said last night to heart, Maya-chan.” Lussuria beamed back at me.  

 “I’m glad. To tell you the truth, if I had never come to tell you anything, Ryohei would have beaten you. His sister would have come and that would have given him a power boost. Then, he would have smashed your metal knee, rendering you defenceless against his Maximum Cannon. Finally, Gola Moska would have taken you out.” I explained. “I.. I just hope that Ryohei’s Maximum Cannon will work, and he’ll be the just as strong as in the anime.  

“Wow... to think I would have lost. I guess my predictions were wrong.” Lussuria laughed. “That was even more thrilling than beating him up.”  

“Good! Now, remember how good it felt to do the right thing. And remember that, if you do good things for other people, other people will do good things for you. You helped Ryohei save his sister, and you did the right thing. So, in return, you were let back into the Varia.” I explained.  

“Karma!” Lussuria exclaimed.  

“Exactly!” I exclaimed back.  

“I’d better go now. Good night, Maya-chan!” Lussuria said as he left my room.  

“Good night, Lussuria-chan!” I waved good night. 

In the middle of the night, I got an unexpected visit from Belphegor.  

“Ushishishishi!” He laughed as he came in. I started to scream, but he cupped his hand over my mouth. “Quiet, now, we wouldn’t want to wake anyone up. I’ll take my hands away, but you have to be quiet, okay?” I nodded and he took his hands away. Then, he took a seat next to me on my bed.  

“W—what are you doing in here? It’s like three in the morning.” 

“What did you mean by ‘less Prince the Ripper moments’?” 

“It’s exactly as it sounds. You don’t go that far nearly as often anymore.” 

“Ushishishishi! You really expect me to believe that? My Prince the Ripper form can’t be suppressed by anyone. It’ll come out whenever I lose blood. As long as there are people strong enough to cut me, Prince the Ripper won’t be gone.” 

“Maybe you’re right... or... maybe you need to get your head out of your ass and realise that wanting to kill people is wrong and psychopathic!”  
   
“Watch it!” 

“I’m not afraid of you! Go ahead, pull out a knife, I don’t give a shit! I’m going to say what I have to say, so you’d better just shut the fuck up, sit the fuck down, and listen!”  

“Well, well, well, it seems we have a feisty one here. I like that in a girl.” Bel said. He took out a knife and cut me on my cheek. When it started to bleed, he licked the blood off. Once the shock subsided, and I could move again, I backed away. “Ushishishishi. I knew you were scared of me.” 

“No, I’m not scared. Surprised...In shock, maybe. But not scared.” 

“I can tell from your eyes that I gave you a rush. Ushishishishi! You were either scared or you enjoyed it.” 

“You’re wrong! I was neither!” 

“We’ll just have to try it again and see.” 

“F—fine... I won’t be surprised this time, so you’ll see nothing.” 

“Ushishishishi, we’ll see.” Bel said, licking the blood from the first cut off the knife. He then came over to me and cut my other cheek, and licked the blood off of it just like last time. He felt my heart beating rapidly. Bel put his lips up to my ear and whispered. “Excitement.” My heart stared beating even faster then.   

“W—what do you want?” I asked with a shaky voice and hands.  

“You.” Bel answered. He moved in closer, used his finger to tilt my chin up, bringing my lips to his, and kissed me. I didn’t know what to do. I was surprising myself. I knew I shouldn’t let him do this, but, there was a part of me that wanted him to. And, I let that part control me, as I kissed him back.  

“I—I’m confused... what exactly is going on here? Are you proving your point... or... do you ... actually like me?” I asked once he pulled away a bit. 

“Ushishishishi! You’re adorable! You’ve got the cute, confused, scared, and totally broken helpless side in situations like this, and yet, you can swear at Xanxus and Squalo and tell me you’re not afraid of me. You’re the first girl to catch my interest.”  

“I see. So, I’m some interesting new toy to you, am I?” 

“Not just that. You make me want to do things with you... things I’ve never really had an urge to do with anyone else before. You give me a certain exciting feeling.” 

“Oh, hell no! Back off!” I exclaimed, pushing him back. “I don’t give a damn if you’re a badass anime character, I’m not that submissive. You touch me again and you’ll be the one getting cut, do you hear me!?.”   
“Ushishishishi. You don’t trust your favourite character?” 

“Not at this stage, I don’t. Now, back off, I need some more space.” 

“Ushishishishi! I knew there was something different about you. You seem all harmless and soft on the outside, but you’ve got a backbone. A strong supportive backbone that goes well with your guts and bravery. No regular person would ever stand up to someone holding a knife up to their neck. They’d beg for mercy and try to preserve their lives. But, you on the other hand, you tell me off? You made a change in all the members of the Varia tonight. You’re one hell of a girl.” 

“Thanks... But, it seems I’ve still got a lot of work to do on you. That Prince the Ripper psychopathic stuff has to go. If you really do want a chance with me, then you have to become the person you are ten years from now as soon as possible. No matter how badly you want to, you can’t take any pleasure in hurting Gokudera. You can’t kill him either. All hell would break loose if you did. And, finally, no Prince the Ripper.” 

“You have to come and watch me. I think... you might be the only thing that can suppress my Prince the Ripper side. If I know you’re watching me, I’ll be able to control myself.” 

“I’ll be there. But, first, we’ve got to watch Lambo vs. Levi. We’ve got to make sure Lussuria-chan doesn’t blurt out anything. He wasn’t there when they originally fought. He won’t be okay with not going, so, we’ve got to make sure he keeps quiet.” 

“Why? What could Lussuria do to change the match?” 

“If he yells out anything, he could take away from the focus of Lambo and Levi. If that happens, it’ll waste Lambo’s precious time.” 

“Ushishishishi! You can’t be implying that the baby actually beats Levi?” 

“Lambo is no ordinary baby, that’s for sure. But, not even I can say who wins for sure. If it weren’t for me, Lussuria would be in the hospital on the verge of death right now. A lot has changed because of me. So, I’ve got to make sure I can keep as much as possible the same. As long as everyone who was supposed to win wins, and everyone who is supposed to live lives, the future should still be the same.” 

“How is the future?” 

“You know, it’s as expected. There’s more technology, especially in the weapons department. New, strong, mafia families have arrived. There’s one in particular the Vongola needs to watch out for. The Arcobaleno need to avoid them, too.” 

“I bet you Mammon wouldn’t listen to you even if you did have a rational explanation you could tell him.” 

“Yeah, he probably wouldn’t. I feel bad for the poor Arcobaleno. Especially Yuni-chan.” 

“Yuni?” 

“Uh, whoops, a little too much information there.” 

“I really wish you could tell me everything...” He said, running his thumb across my cheek. 

“I only know things about you when you are interacting with Tsunayoshi and his family. So, that would include the ring conflict and one part ten years in the future. Other than that, I don’t know much else except a couple of back stories Tsuna and his family were told.” 

“Who’s are they?” 

“Yours and Xanxus’’” 

“Mine? Just how much of it did I say?” 

“You used a fairy tale to describe a tragedy. Honestly, it had blue skies, banners with ‘winner!’ on them when you killed your brother. You said that from the second you two came into this world you hated each other. Always fighting with stones, boulders, and knives. Finally, you ‘won permanently.’” 

“That does sound like how I’d tell that story. Ushishishishi! But, who was I telling it to?” 

“Uh, I don’t think it’d be okay to tell you. If you know who he is now, things will probably change.” 

“Why would I bring that up? I haven’t talked about it since I entered the Varia.” 

“I can’t tell you that, either. It’d be a huge spoiler.” 

“This isn’t an anime, its real life.” 

“You’re right, I’m sorry.  But, I’ve changed the future enough already, and, if I stay with the Varia after the ring conflict is over, I’ll change it more.” 

“If?” 

“Yeah, if... I love you guys, and this is like a dream come true to find that you actually exist, but, am I really good enough to stay? Will Xanxus really let me stay with you guys? And, even if he does, I’ve got my family. I can’t just not see them ever again.” 

“I don’t think there will be much of a problem with you staying. Xanxus is the kind of guy who doesn’t care what happens, as long as it doesn’t interfere with his plans. So, as long as you don’t keep us from winning this, he won’t have a reason to kick you out.” 

“That’s good. But, what if you guys do lose, and he blames it on me?” 

“Then you explain to him how we would have lost anyway.” 

“Wait, what? Who said you guys would lose if I wasn’t here?” 

“I’m a genius, remember? And not just a genius fighter, but, a genius otaku as well.” 

“You’re an otaku!?” 

“Ushishishishi! Of course! The Prince has to have the best in entertainment, and that is anime. I put the fact that Tsunayoshi is the main character and the fact that we’re twisted, and got the conclusion that we would lose in an anime.” 

“You really are a genius.” 

“Of course. All you have to do is explain the way the battles would have went in the anime, and I’ll back you up on it with my genius logic. There’s no way you won’t be able to stay.” 

“The final problem, would be my family. I’m going to miss them a lot. I want to stay with you guys so much, but I don’t know if I can choose you guys over my family.” 

“I don’t want you to leave. The Prince has finally found his Princess. And now you say you’re leaving? I guess I’m going to have to give you a reason to stay.” Bel said, leaning in and kissing me again. “You’ll stay if you can see your family once a month?” 

I couldn’t find any words at that moment. One of my favourite anime characters has come to life, told me he has feelings for me, wants me to stay with him and the rest of his group filled with more of my favourite anime characters come to life, and is kissing me. This is beyond a dream come true. This is a miracle! A true miracle! I was completely speechless, so I just nodded.  

“The sun will be rising soon. Since we’re already up, do you want to watch it with me?” Bel asked.  

“You want to watch the sunrise?” I asked, totally surprised.  

“Hey, just because you saw me in an anime, doesn’t mean you know everything about me. You’re not the only one who has an outside that’s different than the inside.”  

Bel took my hand and we walked up to the roof. When we got there, we sat on the edge.  

“Wow. This sunrise is really pretty this morning.” 

“It’s the best time of year to watch the sunrise in Japan. Sakura are blossoming everywhere, we’re close to the sun so it shines the brightest orange.” 

“You’ve done your homework, haven’t you, Bel?” 

“Ushishishishi, I guess I have.” He yawned. “I didn’t get much sleep last night...” Then, Bel rested his head on my legs and used them as a pillow. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do... again. After a couple minutes of staring, I started to twirl his hair around my finger. He didn’t seem to notice, so I assumed he was asleep. He looked cute when he was asleep... almost like he wasn’t an assassin who killed his brother and has Prince the Ripper moments. 

“You’re right, I’m not the only one who has two sides. On the outside, you’re a dangerous assassin who seems psychopathic. But, on the inside, you’re a sweet kid who likes to fall asleep on my lap. I wish I had my phone, this would totally be my new screensaver.” I was glad that he didn’t say anything, it meant he really was asleep and it would have been a bit embarrassing for him to have heard that. Not to mention he would have tried to deny it, no doubt. I didn’t want to wake him... this was the most peaceful I’d ever seen him. But, a half hour later, when the sunrise was almost done, I figured he wouldn’t want to miss it. “Bel, wake up, you’re missing the sunset you wanted to see... Bel... Bel?... Bel!” 

“Five more minutes...” He said, turning his head away from me.  

“Okay, okay, okay...” I laughed and focused on the sunset myself. It was beautiful, full, and orange, just like Bel said.  

“That was a nice nap. How long was I asleep for?” He said as he sat up.  

“A half hour or so. The sunrise is pretty much over now, but, you were just so peaceful when you were sleeping, so I didn’t want to wake you.” 

“O—oh, sorry....” 

“It’s fine. You’re really cute when you’re asleep. Plus, I got to play with your hair.”  

“Then, I get to watch over you while you sleep and play with your hair tonight.” 

“O—okay... but... uh... we won’t be back until late, though, don’t you think you’ll want to sleep, too?” 

“I’ll just sleep in tomorrow morning.”  

“T—that’s fine with me.” 

“I’ve got to do some last minute training before my match tomorrow. Will you be okay here on your own?” 

“Yeah, I’ll find Lussuria-chan and hang out with him. He shouldn’t have anything else to do since he’s finished his match.” 

“You two are becoming besties really quick.” 

“Yeah. Well, what did you expect? The first thing you did when we met for real was put a knife to my throat. It’s actually a miracle we’ve come this far in just one night.” 

“The Prince found his Princess last night.” Bel said, extending his hand. He pulled me up into his arms and kissed me again.  

“Well, your highness, I wouldn’t want to keep our training waiting.” 

“Nope.” 

“I never pictured you as the romantic type. Not even once. Even in the future I never would have thought you could be romantic.” 

“Ushishishishi, I never pictured myself that way, either. One last thing, I’ve been wondering how many fan girls I have. You might just have a lot of competition.” 

“Ha-ha-ha, very funny, Bel.” 

“Ushishishishi!” 

“I’ll see you later. Good luck with training.” 

“See ya, Maya-chan.” Bel said, and then he left for training. I stayed on the roof and thought. I wanted to stay with Bel and the rest of the Varia. They were good people at heart, and I knew how to bring that to the surface. But... what about my family? Should I leave my family for my dream? What would mom and dad think about me running off with an assassins organisation? That’d go over well... but, I will never get another chance like this for adventure ever again. I don’t know what to do... 

“Hey! Maya-chan!” Lussuria called for me.  

“Over here, Lussuria-chan!” I called back, sitting on the edge of the building like I had with Bel this morning.    
“What’s going on? Bel said you were up here and that I should come talk to you. He seemed to... somehow... care about you. That’s big, especially for Bel! What did I miss?” 

“It is pretty big. At about three or four in the morning, Bel came into my room. He did that Ushishishishi laugh and it scared me a bit, but he put his hands over my mouth so I wouldn’t scream.” 

I told Lussuria everything after that. The cuts to the cheek, the kisses, the nap on my lap, the ‘Prince has found his Princess’, everything. Lussuria was gushing excitement the whole time, but I was a nervous wreck. I’d never had anything like this to tell anyone before, and I was saying um and uh and kind of more than any other words.    
“Bel really did all that!? Wow, that’s unbelievable! You changed him! You really did, Maya-chan! No more Prince the Ripper!” 

“I don’t know if I got that far. But, I did make a change for the better. I just hope... I just hope that I don’t change anyone too much. I don’t want you to be so soft that you won’t be able to win when you need to or save friends, but, I don’t want you to enjoy fighting and spilling blood, either. Is there a happy medium?” 

“I think you’ve gotten to that happy medium. Bel isn’t any weaker yet. But, if he were to have his blood spilled, he might just be able to resist Prince the Ripper.” 

“I hope so...” 

“Stop being such a worry wart, don’t you have any faith in your new boyfriend?” 

“That’s the first time he’s been called that... it’s kind of... odd to picture him as my boyfriend. But, at the same time, I love the sound of it. I think that I’m here to help all of you. I just hope I can stay.”  

“Why not?” 

“Do you honestly think Xanxus is just going to let me stay? Especially if you guys lose to Tsuna’s family. That would be the end of this dream.” 

“I think that Bel, Squalo, and I could persuade him. Levi would be on his side along with Mammon, though. We’re split up fifty-fifty. But, we’re the more outgoing ones! We’ll make sure you can stay!” 

“Even if I could stay, I still have my family. Bel and I had already talked about this. He said I could see them once a month. That is enough to make me stay... at least for a while. I mean, I’ll never get another chance to have this exciting of a life, and I get to see my family, too! It’s a win-win! I just hope I can control my home sickness and stay.” 

“I wish I could let you see them more, but, with all our missions I think once a month is all we can do. I’m sorry, Maya-chan.” 

“It’s okay, Lussuria-chan. I’m not giving up on this that easily. And, eventually, I’m sure I’ll get used to being with you all and I’ll be better at handling not seeing my family often.” 

“Yay! So you’ll stay!?” 

“Of course! This is an offer I can’t refuse! Especially not after getting to know you and Bel more.” 

“Yay! Yay! Yay!” Lussuria exclaimed jumping and hugging me at the same time. I jumped and hugged him back. I flashed back to when mom and dad told me we were going to Italy. I said that was the best day ever. I was totally and completely proven wrong in every aspect ever. The days I spent with the Varia were the best days ever.    
“Come on, let’s get going. We wouldn’t want to be late for the match I’m most excited for. Lambo is just the cutest little baby ever! Did you know Lambo-san is invincible?”  

“Invincible!?”  

“Hahaha! Got ya! No, he’s not invincible. That’s what he says to Tsuna right before he steps onto the battle field. I thought it was cute, though.” 

“Oh! That kid must have one big ego!” 

“I know, right! He’s five years old and says he’s invincible! 

“Unless, of course, he actually is.” 

“No, no, I highly doubt that.” 

“So, Levi wins?” 

“I’m not going to tell you that! But, you have to promise that no matter how hurt Lambo or Levi get, that you won’t do or say anything. Just observe, nothing more. In the anime, you were taken out by Gola Moska. You aren’t supposed to come tonight, but, I doubt you’ll willingly stay here.” 

“You’re not supposed to be here, either.” 

“Right. I’m not. But, I’m changing things for the better. I’ve made positive changes in all you Varia members. If you yelled out to Levi to be careful, it could distract him, giving Lambo an opportunity to attack and or change the outcome of the match. If you told him to stop hurting the poor baby, he might do the opposite and kill him out of irritation at you telling him what to do. I can’t tell you who wins, but, I can tell you that nobody dies.” 

“Okay. I’ll keep quiet.” 

“Thank you, Lussuria-chan! You’ve trusted me and helped me since the beginning, and I want to thank you for that.” 

“And you’ve helped the Varia, and I want to thank you for that. But, as you said, time is ticking, we’d better get going. I’m anticipating an exciting match with that cute little Lambo-chan!” 

“You said it! Let’s go!” 

That night, at 9:00 sharp, Levi arrived at Namimori Middle. He arrived two hours prior to the schedules match time. It seems I hadn’t made as much of a change in him as I’d hoped. But, things still need to go the way they did in the anime. If Lambo doesn’t get the shit beat out of him here, he might not get much stronger. Not to mention Tsuna and the rest will have that much less drive. This needs to end up right. 

“Here two hours early again, Levi?” Mammon said as we all arrived.  

“Yes.” Levi answered simply.  

“Lambo,” Tsuna said. “you don’t have to fight if you don’t want to. You’re just a kid, you shouldn’t have to fight.” 

“Tsuna you idiot, don’t you know Lambo-san is invincible! Ahahahahahaha!” Lambo exclaims as he runs off to the electric circuit.  

“Wow, you were right about that line, Maya-chan.” Lussuria whispered to me.  

“Lambo, you don’t understand.” Tsuna said pulling him back.  

“No! Lambo-san wants to play with that!” 

“He thinks it’s an amusement ride...” Gokudera observed.  

“Lady!” Lambo exclaimed to the Cervello woman. “Lady, how do I play with this?” 

“Levi will beat him with one Levi Volta. Maybe even less than that.” Mammon said. “But, you’re the fortune teller, Maya, how about you give us our answer?” 

“Your answer will come when the match is finished. I’m not going to tell you anything that could put you or Tsuna at an advantage. Things have to play out a certain way, the way I saw them play out, or the future will not be the same.” I explained.  

“So, you really aren’t a fortune teller.” 

“Nope. I’ve just seen this in an anime. I don’t understand why you don’t believe me.” 

“Nobody knows about us like you do. Nobody should, anyway. We Varia cover our tracks well. The only explanation is that you are a fortune teller. But, now that’s out, so, are you really just having lucky guesses?” 

“No.” Bel said. “She knows about the past of both me and Xanxus. Only a select few know about this.” 

“Do you honestly expect me to believe there is an anime about us? People would have to know about us to make an anime on us, and there are only a few who do!” Mammon explained.  

“I can’t explain it. I don’t know how or why the anime disappeared. But, as soon as I tried to search for it on your computer, it didn’t show up. Thankfully, Bel and Lussuria-chan believe me.” I said.  

“Battle of the Guardians of Lightning. Lambo vs. Levi A Thon. Battle, start!” A Cervello said.  

“Oh! It’s glowing!” Lambo exclaimed. Once the glowing wire reached where he was standing, he was electrocuted.  
    
“Lambo!” Tsuna called out.  

“Don’t worry. Lambo’s skin is very good with lightning. He has, what the Japanese call, lightning skin. He can absorb or let lightning go through him with virtually no impact to his internal organs.” Reborn explained.  

“Wow. Amazing.” Tsuna said. Gokudera agreed.  

“So, he really is invincible.” Lussuria whispered to me.   
   
Then, the battle continued exactly as it was supposed to. Lambo was electrocuted once again, then he hopped into the ten year bazooka. Cheers roared from Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto as he came out in his teenage form. But, just as it happened in the anime, Lambo’s 15 year old self was beaten. Finally, 25 year old Lambo was called. He kicked major ass while Lussuria and I squealed, until his five minutes were up, and 5 year old Lambo returned.  

“So, the Ten Year Bazooka only works for five minutes after the first use.” Reborn observed. Levi proceeded to electrocute poor Lambo once more.  

“Uh-oh! What do I do!? What do I do!?” I frantically ran around. Lambo was in danger and if Tsuna got disqualified, that would be bad! It’s bad in the anime, too! Someone, not any of the guardians, has to do something! “LEVI! Stop it! Lambo is five years old! It doesn’t matter if you kill him or not, you’ve won!” 

“Maya-chan, that’s not going to work.” Lussuria warned me.   
   
“Levi, leave him alone!” I kept exclaiming.  

“Shut up or you’ll be next!” Levi threatened. Luckily, Lambo woke up. He screamed and ran from Levi. He left the field.  

“Lambo is disqualified. The Lightning Ring goes to Levi A Thon of the Varia.” The Cervello said.  

“You’ve disgraced me, Levi.” Xanxus said, finally showing up. “Don’t disgrace me and further.” 

“B—Boss.” Levi said. He left the battle field with the whole Thunder Ring.  

Xanxus didn’t know he should have gotten Tsuna’s ring. If he did, I wouldn’t survive until morning, so I didn’t plan on telling him. Then, I looked at Tsuna. He was in horror and despair. I had Bel and Lussuria. They could stop Xanxus from killing me... right? 

“U—uh, Tsuna-san.” I said.  

“What do you want!?” Gokudera barked at me.  

“Alright, look Gokudera, I get that you don’t like me because I’m with the Varia, but I was trying to talk to Tsuna, I have something to say to him!” I barked back.  

“Ushishishishi. Sweet one minute, vicious the next.” Bel laughed.  

“Anyway, Tsuna-san, I just wanted to say that you would have stopped the match. You would have interfered and given away your ring to save Lambo. It was the right thing you did. But, I didn’t want to make you do that. It’s unfair that you lost your ring. So, thanks to me, you haven’t. Vongola doesn’t need a boss who would abandon a comrade. I put my life on the line by saying this, so you should take advantage of feeling better and ease your conscience.” I said.  

“T—thanks.” Tsuna said, not quite convinced.  

“And, don’t worry, Lambo will be fine. He’s probably the strongest little baby there is, with the exception of the Arcobaleno.” 

“How do you know all this?” Reborn asked. 

“I know everything about the ring conflict. Well, I know the course it is on now. If something changes, then the future could change. But, as of now, everything is going as planned.”  

“Could I talk to you for a moment?” Reborn asked.  

“Sure.” I said.  

“Wait! So you stopped him from giving me MY ring!?” Xanxus angrily exclaimed.  

“Yes, because it was the right thing to do. No amount of anger will change that now. Keep in mind that what I do will not change the ultimate ending. The same thing would have happened if Tsuna hadn’t had his ring. But, I plan on changing something for the better. And, to go with that change, I had to help Tsuna keep his ring. This way, you get to fight him. Don’t you want to try and kick his ass? It’ll be fun to watch that match!” 

“You’re nothing but trash! I’ll kill you!” 

“How about trying to change up your script once in a while? If I hear you say trash again, I’ll puke!”  

“You’re dead!” He exclaimed as he charged at me. Luckily, I was blocked by Lussuria.  

“Boss, come on. We’ll still win. Maya-chan said nothing would change.” Lussuria explained. 

“Do you want to know what you would have done if you had the ring? You would have promised to kill Tsuna and all of his guardians. You could have stopped the conflict right then and there. But, you didn’t. You gave them another chance. You said that if they had more rings than you at the end, you’d give them everything. The rings and the position as boss with it. They have that chance still, and the same ending still plays out. And, you also hinted to something about Vongola the 9th.” 

“What happened to Vongola the 9th!” Iemetsu exclaimed.  

“Calm down.” Reborn said.  

“You should put your gun away.” Iemetsu told him.   

“Hahaha! I love that part!” I laughed, then turned serious. “Don’t worry, Xanxus. I’m the only one who knows what’s going on. Not that anyone would believe me if I told them. Not anyone from the Varia. Unless, of course, you’ve told them. Now, if you don’t want me to unmask your plan, you’ll stop trying to attack me.”   
“You’re going to try and save the damned old man.”  

“I’m not going to try. I’m going to succeed.” 

“Do whatever you want, you’ll never be able to beat me. Not in a physical battle or a strategy battle. I’ll let you off this time.” 

“That’s all I was asking. Thank you, Xanxus.”   

“Come on down here, girl. Let’s talk.” Reborn said.  

“Nice try, Reborn.” Mammon said. “You may be the ‘good guy’, but you’re still an Arcobaleno with power. Why should we trust you with one of our own?”  

“Awe, Mammon! I really have helped you, too!” I said happily.  

“Mammon’s right. Just because we’re assassins, doesn’t mean we don’t protect our comrades.” Bel joined in.    
“Yeah, we’ll protect Maya-chan, no matter what!” Lussuria finished.   
   
“Awe, thanks you guys! But, this is Tsuna and his family we are talking about. You guys may not trust them, but, I do. I know a lot about them, and I know they are good people. I’m going down there to talk to them, and I’ll be back soon. I won’t tell them anything I haven’t told you.” I explained. 

“Maya-chan, don’t.” Bel grabbed my hand. “If Mammon is trying to protect you, you really are in danger.”  

“Thank you, Bel, but I’ll be okay. Feel free to be on guard if you want, but, I trust these guys.” I said, and proceeded down the stairs to talk to Reborn. “So, what do you want to ask me.” 

“Yamamoto.” Reborn said. Yamamoto was immediately handcuffing me, and then he gagged me.  

“Sorry, but these are the kid’s orders. He’s got a good reason, I know it. If you really do trust us, please cooperate with us.” Yamamoto apologised.  

“Maya-chan!” Bel and Lussuria exclaimed simultaneously. 

“We can’t let you win, Varia.” Reborn said. “I don’t care what kind of changes she has made for the better in you, or for us, I don’t trust you. Xanxus, you are harsh and cruel. You don’t deserve to be the Boss of Vongola.” 

“Give her back, or we’ll take her!” Bel threatened.  

“I wouldn’t if I were you. You’ll be disqualified.” Reborn said.  

“Reborn! This is going too far!” Tsuna said.  

“Tsuna, they’ve done something to the ninth! And this girl knows about it! We have to figure it out!” Reborn exclaimed. “We’ll give her back at the end of the Ring Conflict.” 

“You can’t take her!” Lussuria exclaimed.  

“Can’t we just talk to her, Reborn!?” Tsuna asked.  

“Do you really think she’ll tell us anything? She’s on their side! We need to take her and keep her from saying anything else.” Reborn insisted. That was when I started to get scared.... of a 2 year old... with a reptile that transforms into a gun... I thought of Adult Lambo’s ‘my, my’ and it applied to my situation. 

“But you said we’d be in trouble if she didn’t stay with them!”  

“The ninth is in even more trouble!” 

“When we get her back, all of you are done for. Win or lose the Ring Conflict, you’ll pay.” Bel threatened again. I looked at him and shook my head. He looked surprised. “No? Why no?”  

“She trusted you, and was going to tell you just as much as she told us, and you go and kidnap her?!” Lussuria exclaimed. “That’s awful!” 

“Reborn, let her go. She will talk to us, trust her, and trust me.” Tsuna ordered.  

“Tsuna, have I ever been wrong?” Reborn asked. “Have I ever done anything I shouldn’t have? Did I ever make a wrong move in a situation like this before?” 

“N—no, but this is wrong! This is kidnapping!” Tsuna exclaimed 

“It’s necessary.” Reborn said. I shook my head rapidly, trying to tell him I would still tell them everything I told the Varia.  

“What is she trying to say?” Yamamoto wondered.  

“If we take off the gag, we’ll find out.” Tsuna said, removing the gag. 

“Go! I’ll be fine, they won’t hurt me! Don’t worry! Bel, Lussuria-chan, I’ll be fine!” I said as soon as I could talk again.  
    
“What are you thinking, you’re being kidnapped!” Bel exclaimed in confusion.  

“I know, but, they are still good people! They’re just worried about the ninth thanks to Xanxus. I know Tsuna, and I know he would sooner fight Reborn than let him kill me, so, I’ll be fine!” I exclaimed. “But, Reborn, this isn’t necessary. I would have told you everything I told the Varia without all of this. And I do have a plan to save the ninth.” 

“Fine, then go ahead.” Reborn said.   
   
“Release the handcuffs.” Bel ordered.  

“No, it’s ok—” I began, but Bel cut me off.  

“Don’t say anything until they release you.” Bel ordered again.  

“No! If I tell them now, I can come back! The only difference any of this is going to make is where I tell them this information. I’m just going to tell them.” I refused.  

“Start talking.” Reborn said.  

“Alright. I know everything from the anime Katekyo Hitman Reborn. It stars your family, Tsuna-san. That’s how I know all of you. I know your behaviors, your pasts, your futures, and weapons. I can’t prove it, and you probably don’t believe me, but it’s the truth. I already tried to show the Varia the anime, but, it’s disappeared from the internet. I can’t find it anywhere now.” I explained.  

“If this is true, tell us what you know from before the ring conflict.” Tsuna said.  

“Gokudera tried to kill you with his bombs. His sister is Bianchi, and every time he sees her, he feels sick, because he ate her Poison Cooking as a child and now has trauma. Yamamoto’s first weapon was a baseball bat that transforms into a sword when an object comes at it at over 300 km/h I think. Oh, and Bianchi is in love with Reborn, but, he’s two, so I don’t really think it will work out.” I explained.  

“I believe you.” Gokudera said. “As crazy as the story sounds, how else could she have known about my childhood?”  
   
“Thank you, Gokudera. I’m sorry about yelling at you, by the way.” I smiled.  

“That doesn’t prove anything. She could just be someone with connections. And what about the ninth?” Reborn said. 

“That’s what they said.” I glared at Xanxus. “As for the ninth, there’s nothing you can do.” I said. 

“What do you mean?”  

“There are only three people who can save him now. Me, Xanxus, and Tsuna. Xanxus won’t do it, and Tsuna can’t yet, so let me take care of it.”  

“Why should we trust you?”  

“Because I’m your only option. Iemetsu already left for Italy, and he’ll find an imposter in the ninth’s place. I can’t tell you where his is, but he’ll be fine for a while. I just need to save him before... well, before it’s too late.”    
“We can’t just leave it to you. You have to come with us.”  

“But—” 

“You said Tsuna can’t do it yet, so obviously, he will do it. That’s all I need to know about the ninth.” 

“There is more I can tell you. Bel’s strong suit is combining his knife attacks with his genius mind. Be careful, Gokudera. Yamamoto, don’t give up on anything in your battle with Squalo. Tell Hibari that if he beats Gola Moska, he can see Rokudo Mukuro again, an—” I was interrupted by Reborn.  

“How do you know he’ll see him again!?” Reborn asked.  

“Because I know everything about you guys! From Katekyo Hitman Reborn!” I repeated. 

“Why are you giving away information on how to defeat your comrades!?” Tsuna asked.  

“I’m not. I’m just giving you a quick profile on them. I gave the Varia a profile on all of you. Ryohei-san, that’s how they were able to find Kyoko. I never thought they would stoop that low.” I explained. “I’m so sorry, but, I did all I could to stop it.” 

“So, it’s your fault she was dragged into this!” Ryohei exclaimed angrily.  

“No, no, no! She would have come looking for Colonello! In fact, if she hadn’t been here, your Maximum Cannon would have only been at 90%, and Lussuria’s metal knee would have won. But, she came, gave you a power boost, and you broke Lussuria’s metal knee. Then, Gola Moska would have shot Lussuria because there was no way he could win anymore.” I explained.  

“So, what went wrong with tonight’s battle then?” Tsuna asked.  

“Actually, it was perfect. Lambo went from 5-15-25 perfectly, just as he should have. Levi would have been a gonner if those five minutes hadn’t ended. But, in both situations they did, so it ended the same. So far, so good.” I explained.  

“Good for the Varia.” Reborn scoffed.  

“No, good for both of you! The future I’ve seen is good! Very good! If everything goes as planned, the future will turn out that way, which is good for both of you!” I explained.  

“I don’t see a good future where I’m not the boss of Vongola.” Xanxus said.  

“So, I’ve got some more work to do on you, eh? You need to realise that it’s not all about winning. If you don’t win against Tsuna, then you still have the Varia.” 

“What if he wins? What’ll happen?” Yamamoto asked.  

“Well, I can’t tell you what would happen. If he wins, you’ll find out what happens. If he loses, you’ll find out what happens. The only similarity is that I can’t tell you either ending.” I said.  

“Why not?” Gokudera asked.  

“Isn’t it obvious?” Reborn said. “If she said the Varia were to lose, we’d get confidence and we might do better. If she said the Varia would win, we’d be even more determined to fight harder.” 

“You got it. Only, your overconfidence might have lead to your downfall if you got cocky.” I said. “I just want things to turn out the way they did in the anime. That’s the way things should be and it’s a happy future for everybody. Both teams, fight to win, and fight to get stronger. Because, no matter if you win or lose, the fight ahead is inevitable. It’s already started its early phases. There is no stopping this now. And, if you want to take down the M—I mean, enemy, then you’ll need to work together. And, don’t forget to make more friends along the way.” I explained.  

“VOOOOIII! Us!? Work with them!?” Squalo spat. “No way! I’ve kept quiet until I understood just what the hell was going on, and now that I do, I’m going to say what’s on my mind! You can’t just kidnap one of our friends, baby! That’s not going to go over well with us! And, I don’t give a damn what you think, if they try to kidnap you, I’ll kick their asses and get you back! There is no way I’m going to let them walk all over me and all over the Varia!” 

“Squalo, don’t! Stay where you are, don’t try to fight them! If you do, you’ll lose your rings! That’s not supposed to happen! If I weren’t here, this fight wouldn’t happen, and nobody would lose rings! So, nobody can attack anybody for me, got that, Varia!” I exclaimed.  

“We don’t take orders from you.” Xanxus said.  

“Fine, then do me a favour, and do what you can to keep the future on the right course.” I begged. “Please. Just walk away and come back for the next match tomorrow night. No fighting.” 

“Fine.” Bel said.  

“What!? Just like that!?” Squalo roared.  

“Yeah, just like that. Whatever the hell she thinks she’s doing, she’s got a reason. We trust her, so we’ve got to trust her decisions.” Bel explained.  

“Even when the enemy is taking her away!?” Squalo exclaimed.  

“They’re not the enemy. She’s made that clear. Now, Arcobaleno, are you satisfied with the information she’s given you? Are you going to give Maya-chan back now?” Bel asked.  

“She said she knows about the future. We need to know, too.” Reborn said.  

“I can’t tell you any more, Reborn. If I do, it could change things.” I repeated myself.  

“It could change things for the better.” Tsuna said.  

“Reborn, you have a reason for not telling Tsuna who his Guardian of Mist is, right? So, respect that I have a reason for not telling you what your future is.” I said.  

“This is different. There is a big enemy, according to you, and if we know who it is, we can prepare to fight it or even take it down before it grows.” Reborn said.  

“If you are prepared, then the events will be different! And if you don’t let it grow, then there are four really great people who you won’t meet!” I exclaimed. I said a little too much.  

“Tell me who they are.” Reborn said.  

“No! It’ll change things!” I refused.  

“Fine, I’ll settle for one.” Reborn compromised. I didn’t answer. He didn’t seem to understand the fact that I refuse to tell him too much. “I get what you’re saying, but, you have to understand that I need to protect these people. I was assigned to turn Tsuna into a mafia boss, and I can’t do that if I don’t have information.” 

“You did do it! You did it perfectly, without my help! You turned Tsuna into an awesome and skilled fighter, who protects the ones he loves! And you did it all by yourself, without the information I have. Now that I’m here, I’ve changed things. If you don’t get back on track, the entire future will be changed and the world will end by Byak—I mean, the enemy’s hand. If Tsuna’s family and the Varia don’t learn to get stronger and work together, it’s the end of the world.” I explained.  

“I have a plan. Re-gag her.” Reborn said, hopping off my shoulder.  

“Don’t do anything, Bel, Lussuria-chan, S—” I began, but I was gagged again.  

“I swear, I will kill you if she comes back with even a scratch, do you hear me, Reborn!” Bel exclaimed. This was the angriest I’d ever seen Bel. I sat down, crossed my legs, and ohmed, hoping that Bel would know to calm down.  

“Do you honestly think I can be calm at a time like this?!” He exclaimed.  

“Get your composure, Bel. Your match is tomorrow. You’ve got to fight to win, without any excess anger, or else the future that Maya-chan is protecting won’t exist.” Lussuria said. Before I was taken away, I winked at Bel. Earlier that day, when we were watching the sunrise, I told Bel that if I needed him to win for sure and fight his absolute hardest, I’d wink at him. Luckily, he got the message. 

“I got it! Don’t you die on me, Maya-chan!” I heard him exclaim from behind me. At that moment, I actually started to cry a bit. I love Bel... and that was his version of ‘I love you, too’. Some people may think he’s a psychopath, but, they don’t know what he can be for someone he loves. He can be a caring, romantic, dependable, protective person when he has the right motivation. And, I’m lucky enough to be that motivation.  

The next think I knew, I was in Tsuna’s bedroom.  

“Reborn, this isn’t right!” Tsuna kept saying.  

“We’re not going to hurt her. Think of it as a slumber party.” Reborn said. 

“Reborn, I can’t tell you anything else.”  

“I know. We just don’t want to give you the chance to tell the Varia anything. I know I can make Tsuna into an awesome mafia boss. I did it once, I can do it again. But, the Varia don’t play by the rules. You said yourself that you change things, and I, too, want the original ending. So, if you’re gone for now, we’ll get it.” 

“So this wasn’t exactly a kidnapping?”  

“Nope.”  

“There is one thing I need to tell you, Reborn.”   
“And that is?” 

“The arcobaleno need to protect themselves from the seven cubed waves. Verde has to do something, now. Right now.” 

“The seven cubed waves!?”  

“I don’t know everything. I didn’t understand those waves when I watched it. But, you probably already know that they kill you.”  

“But they are being sealed.”  

“Not for long. I didn’t know there was a seal. I don’t know what is happening with them, but you’ve got to make suits to protect yourself, or you’ll die. Tsuna does fine on his own, but I’m sure he’ll want you there. You can only positively impact the future.” 

“You’re saying that even though I kidnapped you.”  

“I trust you, Reborn.”  

Reborn left. He left the room, but, it was 1:00 in the morning, so, I fell asleep. At about four, Tsuna came to and saw me sleeping. 

“That Reborn.” He said as he moved me from the chair to the bed, and left the room, too.  

“Good morning desu!.” Haru said as she walked into the room.  

“Come on in.” I smiled. I had dealt with too many rowdy, rambunctious, fighting guys lately, so I was very excited to actually talk to someone who had some common sense... a girl. 

“I brought Kyoko-can with me!” Haru exclaimed happily  

“Haru! Kyoko!” I exclaimed, beaming all the same. 

“We thought you’d like to have lunch with us. You’re one of Tsuna and Reborn’s friends, right?” Kyoko asked.  

“Yeah, I guess...” I said.  

“Any friend of theirs, is a friend of ours!” Haru exclaimed. 

“Who put you up to this?” I asked.  

“Tsuna-kun and Reborn-chan.” Kyoko answered. 

“So, do you want to come with us?” Haru asked.  

“Sure, it sounds like fun. Oh, and, do you think after, we could stop by an anime store?” I asked.  

“Anime? You like anime?” Kyoko asked.  

“Yeah, I love it!” I exclaimed.  

“The only good thing about anime is cosplaying.” Haru said.   

“O—okay. Maybe I’ll just get Bel or Lussuria-chan to take me.” I smiled, trying to change the subject.  

“Lussuria... I’ve heard that name before... it’s the guy Brother was fighting in the sumo contest!” Kyoko remembered.  

“Yeah, he is. I was there, too. Lussuria-chan is my best friend.” I smiled.  

“Oh, now I remember you!” Kyoko smiled. “But, you were with the other sumo team, why are you in Tsuna’s bedroom now?”  

“Um... yeah, it’d be best if I didn’t tell you.” I answered. I was surprised that Haru didn’t go all crazy on me. I was in Tsuna’s bed. All it took to get a knife in Haru’s hand was seeing Chrome kiss Tsuna on the cheek. I was glad she knew the situation wasn’t how it looked. “Let’s get going.” 

I went out for lunch with Kyoko and Haru. We went to a cute little cake shops. They have a lot of them in Namimori. I was really hoping to see Bel or Lussuria, but, no such luck. Soon after, we shopped all day, had dinner, shopped more, and made our way back home.  

“It’s getting pretty late. Tonight’s sumo contest should be starting soon.” I said. We spent all day in town. It was ten o’clock. “Say, could you take me to Namimori Middle?” 

“Yeah, I know the way.” Kyoko said. “You want to see the sumo contest?” 

“My boyfriend’s fight is tonight. I hope he doesn’t get hurt. But, girls, you can’t be here. As soon as you take me to Namimori Middle, you have to go home.” I explained.  

“Why can’t we watch!?” Haru asked.  

“Well... uh.... Bel gets kind of nervous when he has people he doesn’t know watching.” I lied.   

“O—okay.” Haru sadly agreed.  

“Brother would probably want me home, too.” Kyoko said.  

“Sorry, but, Tsuna and Ryohei would rather you guys safe at home.” I smiled. Then, I was shown to Namimori Middle. The girls left immediately after. I snuck into the building and tried to find my way to where the Varia were, so I wouldn’t be caught by Reborn first. I was lucky, and found Bel waiting to fight. I quickly and carefully ran up to him, hoping I wouldn’t be seen. Just as I was about to reach Bel from behind, Reborn caught me and handcuffed me again.  

“Damn it! I was so close!” I exclaimed. Bel whirled around.  

“Maya-chan!” Bel exclaimed in a worried tone.  

Bel was frustrated. I could see it by the shaking of his fist. He looked like he was ready to knock Reborn into the next dimension. 

“It’ll be okay, Bel. I’ll be fine. Win! Do whatever you can to win, but, don’t risk your life or Gokudera’s for a dumbass ring!” Then, I was gagged again. With every moment that passed, Bel was getting angrier and angrier. It wasn’t good. If he couldn’t keep his cool during the match, he’d go full on Prince the Ripper on Gokudera.  

The seconds on the clock ticked. Reborn, Tsuna, and all of his guardians were getting restless. They were worried Gokudera wouldn’t show up. But, I knew the truth. 

“Do you know where Gokudera is?” Reborn asked. I smiled, letting him know everything would be okay. 

“She knows everything.” Bel began. “But, she isn’t going to tell you shit! I understand where you’re coming from, but you’re going about this the wrong way.” 

“You know the situation is odd when Bel suggests doing things less violently.” Mammon said. 

“But, he is right. The best way for you to get help from her, would be to let her go. Maybe, if she forgives you, she’ll tell you things you need to know in the future. As for right now, you’re going to get the same answer. Nothing.” Lussuria deepened Bel’s explanation.  

“She’s already told me about the future. I just don’t want her to be tricked into telling you how to beat us.” Reborn explained.  

“That’s a stupid reason to keep someone a prisoner! At least take off her gags and handcuffs! She’s already willing come to you once!” Squalo exclaimed.  

“No, it’s not a stupid reason.” Reborn said.  

“Enough of this arguing. The battle will start in five minutes. If the other Guardian of Storm does not show up by eleven o’clock, the Varia will win the Ring of Storm.” The Cervello interrupted.  

“That’s not the way I want to win.” Bel said, clenching his fist. I looked at him, nodded, and gave the best smile I could, despite the fact I had a gag in my mouth. 

“What do you know about Gokudera, Maya?” Reborn asked, removing my gag. 

“He should show up. Gokudera wouldn’t want to disappoint Tsuna, so he’ll be here. There’s only one thing that can stop him. If Dr. Shamal sees his new attack isn’t ready, he’ll stop Gokudera from coming, since he still thinks Bel is the kind of person to kill an opponent.” I explained. “And, for the record, I’m only telling you this because there are three minutes until the battle, so, there’s no time for anything to be changed.” 

The next few minutes passed in silence. Tsuna was pacing, Reborn wasn’t taking his eyes off the entrance, and Yamamoto held my handcuff keys and chain, so I couldn’t run. Finally, with seconds left on the clock, Gokudera came running in.  

“Sorry I’m late, 10th.” He apologised, out of breath.  

“Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna beamed.  

“Good. Now we can have the match the way it was supposed to be.” Bel said.  

“I don’t know what kind of tricks you have up your sleeve, but, nothing with the Varia will be fair or the way it’s supposed to be!” Gokudera yelled.  

“Voi! Think whatever you want of us, see if we give a shit!” Squalo yelled back.  

“That’s my Squalo.” I thought.  

“Will the Guardians of Storm please step into the battle field. It’s the entire third floor. Hurricane Turbines have been set up in various places on the floor. The battle will last fifteen minutes, and if one of you hasn’t completed the ring by then, the hurricane turbines will blow up one by one.” The Cervello said.  

“What!? They’ll die if that happens!” Tsuna exclaimed.  

“That would mean that neither of them is worthy of becoming Guardian of Storm.” She replied.  

“Now I see why Maya-chan told me to win, but not at the cost of lives.” Bel said, clenching his fist again. “If I win, Gokudera may die. If I lose, things will change. If I try to win and keep him alive, I might use up all the time and kill us both... the best option is to... I guess having someone die is much more drastic than losing one mach... I’ve got to protect him.”  

“What are you mumbling about, Bel?” Lussuria asked.  

“Nothing.” Bel answered as he went to the third floor of the school. The others all went to the viewing area, with cameras, and laser sensors so Tsuna wouldn’t interfere again like he was about to last night. The battle started out perfectly. Bel used his wires and knives perfectly, and Gokudera had no idea what was going on. I laughed at him at first, but once he started to get hurt, it wasn’t funny anymore. But, soon enough the fight would end. When that time came, they made their way to the library.  

“Going into a tight space with lots of obstacles and only one exit was that boy’s biggest mistake. That is Bel’s Playground he walked into.” Mammon said.  

This was good. Bel was winning, and everything was going exactly as planned. Gokudera now knows about the wires, and Bel knows how the Rocket Bombs work. Three minutes were on the clock. My heart started racing. I knew how this should end, but, if there was even a single difference, it could result in death for one or both of them. I prayed it wouldn’t come to that. With one minute left on the clock, the final, and most important, piece of the puzzle came into play. Tsuna.  

“Gokudera-kun, give him the ring!” Tsuna exclaimed. Luckily, the library was close, so Gokudera heard Tsuna. 

“10th! What are you talking about!? We can’t let the Varia win!” Gokudera exclaimed back.  

“What’s the point in winning if we lose our friends along the way! We fight so we can live, and laugh with the friends we love! There’s no point in any of this if you die, Gokudera-kun!” Tsuna pleaded.  

“No!” Gokudera refused. “I know I can win! Just give me a little more time!” Gokudera said. This worried me. Just as I was starting to feel like everything would be alright, Gokudera refused to do what he willingly did last time. I made a scene, hoping Reborn would know that this was not supposed to happen. 

“Gokudera is supposed to give up?” Reborn asked. I nodded my head violently. But, Reborn didn’t do anything to stop it. I tried making a scene again, but nobody paid any attention. 

Finally, I managed to get away from Yamamoto, and I ran towards the library. Just as I was about to pass the wires, time was up, and there was nothing but explosions. I kept running once I could stand again. When I made it to the library, Bel was laying bloody on the floor, and Gokudera was looking stunned at him, with his eyes widened and his back to the wall.  

I ran over to Bel, hoping he was at the very least alive. I couldn’t do anything for him in handcuffs like this. Thankfully, Gokudera snapped out of his daze and broke the handcuffs and took out my gag.  

“Bel...” I whispered as I cried. “Bel... come on, Bel... you’ll be okay...” 

“He tried to give me his ring in the last few seconds. But... I wouldn’t take it. I wanted to win, not to have him forfeit.” Gokudera explained. “When the last few seconds came, I was right next to the turbine. He pushed me out of the way, taking my place.” 

“Get the ten year bazooka and Lussuria! He can save him if he has the ten year bazooka! Do it now, Gokudera, hurry! He doesn’t have much time left! Hurry! Lambo has it in his hair at the hospital! Tell Ryohei to go and get it as fast as he possibly can! Please, hurry!” I exclaimed. Gokudera did as he was told, and a few minutes later, Lussuria-chan, Squalo, Ryohei, Gokudera, Tsuna, Reborn, Yamamoto, and I were all gathered around Bel with the bazooka. “Everyone, leave! Lussuria-chan, you use the bazooka. Everyone else, leave, now!” 

“No!” Gokudera exclaimed. “He saved my life, I’m not going to leave him!”  

“Remember what happened the last time you said no! Just get out of here, now! Lussuria-chan from the future is going to be brought here, and you can’t see how he saves him, because the technology is not that advanced yet! Leave! Get out! Now!” I rampaged.  

Finally, everyone listened to me. They went to get Lussuria to come. 

“You’ll be fine, Bel. Lussuria can save you.” I assured him more.  

“Lussuria?” He asked. Bel sat up. 

“Bel, you need to rest, don’t move around!”  

“Blood...” He laughed.  

“No, no, no, not now, of all times, not now! Bel, just lie down!”  

“I’m bleeding....”  

“Yes! It’s not funny! Bel, you need to rest!” I exclaimed. Bel came around behind me and put a knife against my  
throat.” 

“Ring... ring.... Vongola Ring...”  

“No! No! TSUNA! CAN YOU HEAR ME!?” 

“Maya!?” Tsuna called back.  

“RUN! EVERYBODY RUN! GET GOKUDERA OUT OF HERE! BEL IS AFTER GOKUDERA! RU—” I tried to yell, but then Bel  
cut the side of my throat. There was blood dripping down my neck and Bel laughed at it.  

“Ring...” Bel kept chanting.  

“Bel, listen to me. This isn’t you. You’re not like this. You like to watch the sunrise with me. What happened to that, Bel? I need you back. Please.... come back...” 

“Maya!?” Lussuria asked. “Should I come in!?” 

“WHO CAN STOP PRINCE THE RIPPER!? SOMEONE HAS TO STOP HIM!” I cried back.  

“It’s up to you, Maya!” Reborn yelled. “You’re the only one who can stop him now.”  

When I heard that, I was scared. It was my first moment of general fear. I was scared for Bel. The poor thing couldn’t control himself, he didn’t know what he was doing. And if it was up to me to stop him... all hope was lost... I didn’t think I could do anything.... at all... 

“RUN!” I told them. I was surprised at how slow Bel was walking. He was like a zombie. But, I  found out later that he believed nobody would get away and he was prolonging his hunting sensation.  

“Ring...” Bel kept repeating.  

“Bel... Stop this...” I begged. But, Bel couldn’t hear me anymore. So, I kicked him in his scrotum. And the scariest part was that he didn’t fall down. “He can’t feel pain...” We kept walking toward the exit.  

“Ring... ring... Vongola ring....” Bel laughed. I managed to turn myself around and hug him. I was sad for Bel. He didn’t know what he was doing in this state. I started to cry.  

“Bel... you’re my prince... and I’m not about to let you continue with this madness! Stop this.... please... for me...” 

“M—maya-chan?” He asked.  

“I’m here, Bel!” I smiled. Then, he collapsed. I helped him to the ground, and then he shut his eyes. “Bel! Bel, stay with me! Open your eyes! Don’t go anywhere, Bel, stay with me!” 

“Maya-chan! I have the cannon!” Lussuria exclaimed, running in with the big purple ten year bazooka.  

“Use it, quickly!” I exclaimed. Lussuria fired the trigger. There was a puff of smoke, and he was replaced by an older version of himself. 

“Oh, my, what happened?” Future Lussuria asked when he arrived.  

“Just save him, please! Bring out your Sun Peacock and save him, please, Lussuria-chan! This isn’t supposed to happen to him! He’s supposed to live!” I cried. 

“Yes, he is supposed to live. I’ll save him for you, Maya-chan.” Lussuria smiled. “Pavone del Sole!” The Sun Peacock came out and healed Bel. 

“Thank you so much, Lussuria-chan from the future! I’ll be sure to tell Bel you saved his life when he comes to!” I exclaimed, giving Lussuria from the future a hug.  

“You’re welcome, Maya-chan!” He smiled and hugged me back. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. And... don’t give up on Bel, Maya-chan.”  

“I’d never give up on him.”  

“You say that... but time changes things. You’re so happy with him now... and I want you to be happy again. So, promise me that, whatever you do, you won’t give up on Bel... or the rest of your Varia.”  

“My Varia?”  

“Of course! Who else do you think runs the show? Xanxus? Hahaha! You won’t let him!”  

“Hahaha, you’re right! Okay. I promise, I’ll never give up on my Varia!” 

Soon after, there was a big poof, and I was hugging Lussuria from the present.  

“Welcome back to the present, Lussuria-chan! You successfully saved Bel’s life!” I hugged him.  

“I’m glad I could help.” He smiled back. Then, I knelt down beside Bel on the floor, waiting for him to come to. His injuries were all healed, he’s no longer bleeding, so he should wake up soon. Lussuria decided to leave me alone with Bel.  

“Bel. Feel free to wake up any time now. You worried me sick. But... I’m proud of you. You took a fatal blow instead of making your opponent take it. Bel, you even tried to give him your ring. You did everything you possibly could have to make the future as bright as possible. I’m very proud of you.” I said as I started to tear up. I took off my coat, and laid it under Bel’s head as a pillow. “Come on, Bel... I’m worried...” 

“M—Maya-chan?” Bel asked when he finally came to.  

“Bel!” I exclaimed and gave him a big hug. He sat up and gave me a hug back. “You told me not to die on you, and then you go and almost die on me!? That’s just not fair!” 

“I know. I’m sorry. I tried to save the both of us, but, Gokudera wouldn’t take my half of the Ring of Storm. And, you told me not to let anyone die. So, I did the best I could, knowing that less people would cry for me than for Gokudera. My death would make a less drastic change on the future you’re protecting than Gokudera’s.”  

“Don’t think like that! If you die, that future won’t exist! If you die, part of me dies! You can’t die, Bel! Nobody can die! Nobody! Nobody except the bad guys, and neither the Varia nor Tsuna’s family are bad guys!” I exclaimed, still crying my eyes out. Then, Bel wiped the tears from my eyes, tilted my chin so my lips touch his, and kissed me. When he finished, he huged me again, calming me down.  

“It’s okay. I understand. Everything will be alright. Nobody’s going to die.” He assured me. “I think we’ve finally gained Tsuna’s family’s trust. Now, it will be much easier to work together.” 

“You’re right. Now, we can surely conquer what’s ahead! Everyone needs to become stronger! Much, much stronger! Our enemy isn’t going to go down easily ten years from now, but, we can do it if we all work together!” 

“Right. So, how’d I do?” 

“You did exactly what was right. But, the outcome was wrong. You were supposed to win. Gokudera was supposed to listen to Tsuna’s plea, and hand the ring over to you. But, the exact opposite happened because of me...” 

“We’re both alive, aren’t we? Who’s to say we both wouldn’t have been blown up? If you hadn’t come, I’d have been more stubborn, and would rather have died than given up my ring. And, if Gokudera didn’t listen, like he did this time, then we both would have died. You saved us both.” 

“That’s good to hear. You’re right, maybe Gokudera still wouldn’t have given up, and the both of you would have been blown to smithereens. Nothing like this can happen in the future, though. Our enemy doesn’t play by the rules like we do. If we slip up, he’ll take advantage of that and we won’t be able to defend ourselves. We stay apart from Tsuna and his family for the next ten years, though.” 

“Really? We don’t see each other for ten years?” 

“Well... wait, no! We don’t see them this age for ten years, but, we’ll most likely see them again a lot in between. But, I’m not sure. Katekyo Hitman Reborn follows Tsuna and his family now. There isn’t any showing of the ten years between now and the future. They use the ten year bazooka to go into the future, as you might have guessed, and defeat the enemy there. But, since the ten year bazooka switches the present person with their future self, Tsuna’s group remains this age for the fight, but, the Varia doesn’t use it, so they are ten years older for the fight.” I explained.  

“So, if they’re this strength for the fight, how come we’re not the main characters since we’re ten years older and have had that much more training time?” 

“It’s thanks to Reborn. He trains them, and with the help of a friend they meet in the future, they train in the past. One week in the past is ten minutes in the future. That happens twice. Then, they fight the enemy. Don’t underestimate the strength of a tutor.” 

“Are they as strong as the future us?” 

“Yeah, they are. Reborn’s training is the best. Not to mention that he has all his Arcobaleno buddies to help.” 

“I knew it.” Reborn says walking in. “I knew you’d give away information to them.” 

“R—reborn...” I said. Bel moved between Reborn and I. 

“Get out of here.” Bel hissed.  

“This has nothing to do with the current fight! I’m not telling them anything that I didn’t tell you!” I exclaimed.  

“Its proof that you’ll tell them anything. That’s dangerous. They can’t know too much.” 

“Well, what are you going to do about it? Start a fight? If you do, Tsuna’s family will be disqualified, and that’s not what you want, and it’s not what Maya-chan wants either. Why don’t you just get lost and forget about trying to kidnap her again?” Bel suggested.  

“We’ll get her back without a fight.” Reborn said, walking away.  

“I won’t let that happen. Now that I don’t have a match to worry about, I’ll be with Maya-chan twenty-four-seven, so just give up!” Bel exclaimed.  

“I’m an Arcobaleno. You’re the ones who should be giving up.” Reborn said, and then he left Namimori Middle with Tsuna and the others.  

“I...” I began, but I didn’t know how to say what I had to say. 

“You don’t have to be scared. He’s not going to get past me.” Bel assured me.  

“Promise me you will not die under any circumstances whatsoever.” 

“I promise. The same goes for you. We’re going to get stronger, the both of us, and together, we’ll be able to hold our own against whatever the future brings.” 

“The future is a very bright place. Before Choice, it was getting worse, and there were plans for total and complete world destruction. But, Tsuna’s family and the Varia worked together, and took down the enemy. Then, Katekyo Hitman Reborn ended, never to be seen or heard of again. So, I don’t know anything past the defeat of the enemy. Heck, I don’t even know if the same events will play out since Gokudera messed up. I’m hoping they do. I’m hoping for one change to the future, though. Just one change.” 

“What’s Choice? What change?” 

“Damn it! But, I guess it won’t do any harm to tell you the word Choice. You still have no clue what it means. Anyway, there are two people... two very, very good people... who die. They’re not from Varia or Tsuna’s family, but, they were still good people who I really liked. I hope they can live.” 

“Sometimes, things like that are unavoidable. When a new era begins, certain things from the past have to be left behind.” 

“You sound like Whitebeard.” 

“Whitebeard?” 

“An old, but powerful, man from One Piece, another anime. He said there was no ship to take him to the next era.” 

“Oh! That Whitebeard. He was the best.” 

“Yeah... it’s too bad, though...” 

“Are you changing the subject on me?” 

“Yeah, a little bit. And I’m going to do it again. I... you act different when you’re around me... it’s almost like you’re acting calm and cool for me... and you’re not being yourself...” 

“Nope, it’s the other way around.” 

“What?” 

“I’m not myself when I’m not with the people I care about. I’m not even myself when I’m around the Varia. When I first came, I was angry, and filled with hatred. I’d killed my own brother, ran away from home, and was a wreck. But, I couldn’t let anyone know that. I kept up a wall... a fake personality... that’s what you saw. Then you came along, and said I was going to lose that. I panicked. The Varia were cruel people, and I didn’t know what they’d do if they found out I was a phony. So, I tried to scare you into silence. Clearly, you were more ferocious than I imagined. You brought to the surface everything I’d been hiding... and, you blew my cover. You... you actually saw the good in me that I’d been trying to hide for so long. Of all people, a girl I’d spent one day with was the one to save me from myself.” 

I didn’t know what to say to that. No matter how hard I tried, I’d never be able to say something as meaningful and from the heart as what Bel just said. So, I nestled into his arms, put my head on his shoulder, and smiled.  

“Aishteru, Bel.” 

“Aishteru, mo... which is why... I have to send you home.” 

“No.” 

“No?” 

“No!” 

“I refuse your refusal!” 

“You’re Bel, not Luffy! You can’t do that!”  

“You’ve got to go home, Maya-chan...” 

“Just a minute ago, you were talking about how we’d both get stronger and fight together, and now you’re sending me home?! That’s not okay!” 

“I know... But, don’t you realise how dangerous it is? You said two people die, and I’m not going to let there be a third. You’re going home where it’s safe” 

“I’ll go if the Varia comes with me.” 

“You know we can’t do that. We’ve got a future to save.” 

“And I want to be a part of that future!” 

“If you stay, you won’t have a future. One of these times, I’m not going to be able to protect you. You’ll die. I’d rather you be safe at home with your family than dead because you wanted to stay with us.” 

“I’m not afraid of dying! I’m only afraid of not having lived in the first place.” 

“You’ve lived. Look at all you’ve lived through. Isn’t that enough? Can’t you be satisfied with this adventure and go safely back to your family?” 

“No! Not when I’m leaving you and the Varia behind!” 

“I don’t want to leave you behind, either. But, if behind is where you’re safe, then, I’m going to take you there.” 

“I love you, Bel. And you said you love me, too. I know you want me to be safe, but, in a year or two, I’ll be able to keep myself safe. I won’t go on missions or anywhere dangerous until then. I promise.” 

“I want that, too. But, I’m not going to be selfish anymore. I’ve lead you on long enough. I knew this wouldn’t work out... but, I was selfish and kept leading you on. I can’t do that anymore. 

“It’s not being selfish if I want it, too!” 

“Trust me, Maya-chan. Soon after you go home, you’ll be so happy you can spend every day with your family.” 

“I’m not going to argue over this anymore. If you can’t accept me staying, then I’ll go.” 

“I’m sorry it has to be like this... I just want you to be safe... you understand, right?” 

“Yes, I do. But... if I go... I’m afraid the Varia will go back to the way they were.” 

“I won’t let that happen. I’m going to protect the future you’ve fought for. And, when it all ends, and it’s safe, I’ll come for you... if you haven’t moved on, that is.” 

“But, that’s ten years away!” 

“I know. We can keep in touch until then, but, that’s all, I don’t want to get you any more involved in the Mafia or anything else.” 

“Okay... normally, I’d yell at you, and stick up for myself... but, this is different. If I stay, you’ll be constantly worried about me, and it’ll throw off your focus. If that happens, and the ten year bazooka isn’t near, you’ll be in trouble... I don’t want that.” 

“You can stay until the end of the Ring Conflict. After that, our missions will start up again, and you’ll have to go home. But, promise me one thing.” 

“Sure.” 

“Promise me that you won’t keep waiting for me to come back. Don’t waste your life. I don’t want to stop you from having the life experiences that’ll make you happy. Don’t keep yourself from doing things normal teenagers would do, just because you can’t stop thinking about coming back here.” 

“I won’t, I promise. I’m going to do everything I’d always dreamed of doing with my life.” 

“That’s my girl.”  

When we got back to the temporary Japanese Varia HQ, I was worried sick. How in the world were the Varia supposed to win another battle!? The one they were supposed to win went wrong! If I don’t do something, the future will be changed because of me. I need to help the Varia win one more battle. Gola Moska is a robot, and Hibari will for sure kick his tin ass... Mammon doesn’t stand a chance against Mukuro. AND THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO BATTLES LEFT! Well, the only two battles that can be interfered with. If Yamamoto doesn’t win his battle with Squalo, all hell will be set loose. Squalo’s ego will multiply, and Yamamoto will be crushed, and he’ll lose faith in his Shigure Souen Ryu. What do I do!? I should have just told Lambo how to beat Levi so we could be ahead. I had feared that my relationship with Bel would interfere, but I never thought it would really happen. I had faith that Gokudera would listen to Tsuna like he did in the anime. But, now, of all times, Gokudera had to go and be an idiot! Ahodera!  

But, I have no right to blame things on Gokudera. It’s my fault. He’s actually in the story, whereas I’m just messing everything up. I can’t go back early... I can’t go back at all... the Varia need me to keep them on track. We never saw Bel fight a serious battle in the future ark, so I can’t say for sure that his Prince the Ripper moments will stop. That’s what I wanted to believe, and I was saying that to reinforce my hope. I was so stupid! I messed everything up! Even though I screwed up everyone’s life... I can’t say I regret staying... I fell in love with Bel... I’ll never be able to regret changing him and the rest of the Varia... ever... so, I’ve got to make things right. I’ve got to find a way for either Mammon or Gola Moska to win, so that Tsuna will have his chance to change Xanxus and take the ring which is rightfully his. And, I have a plan.  

The next night, we were at Namimori Middle again for Squalo and Yamamoto’s match. It went just as planned, no slip ups, or changes at all. I watched the look on Yamamoto’s face as Squalo jumped into the shark’s mouth. 

“Squalo!” Bel exclaimed after he saw it on the monitor.  

“It’s okay, everything is going just as it is in the anime. Squalo survives and will be back for the sky match.” I whispered. Lussuria heard me, too, and he sighed in relief. Yamamoto, on the other hand, came out with a devastated look on his face. When he saw me, it turned into white hot anger.  

“You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you...” Yamamoto said to me. “You knew he was going to do that, and you didn’t try to stop him... What kind of comrade are you?” 

“He survives, Yamamoto. He’ll be perfectly fine, there’s no need to worry. He did the exact same thing last time and returned in time for the Sky Match. He’ll be okay, Yamamoto, no need to worry.” I assured him.  

“Really?” Yamamoto smiled.  

“Of course! You know how tough he is. Do you really think he’d die by some shark? No! If he were to die, he’d die in battle, not by some sea-creature. Not that that happens, though. Nobody dies from either the Varia or Tsuna’s family.” I explained.  

“What a relief!” Yamamoto sighed, and went back to his usual peaceful self.  

“You can say that again. There’s just one problem.” I said.  

“What is it?” Bel asked. 

“Gokudera won the Storm Match. He was supposed to give up and save himself, but, he decided he’d just stray from the script and be an idiot. No wonder even a little five year old calls you ‘Ahodera!’.” I exclaimed. “We need to win a match back. As you know, Reborn, your Mist Guardian is probably your number one strongest guardian as of now. And, Gola Moska isn’t even human. We Varia only have one chance at gaining back the match we lost. If we don’t, you guys will automatically win the Ring Conflict, and that just can’t happen. The Varia don’t go down without a fight. Plus, Xanxus has a thing or two to learn from Tsuna.”  

“The day I learn something from that piece of trash will be my last day.” Xanxus said. 

“Well then, that’ll be just a few days from now, if all goes well.” I said. “Anyway, that’s not the point I was getting to. I’m the new Cloud Guardian, so I’ll be the one taking on Hibari.” Everyone was shocked.  

“What are you talking about!? You can’t be a guardian! You’re going home after the Ring Conflict!” Bel said.  

“Well, though luck! If you thought that someone as stubborn as me would just pack up and leave, than you’re not the genius everyone thinks you are!” I yell back.  

“I’m not letting you do that! It’s too dangerous!” Bel refused.  

“Does it sound like you have a choice in the matter, Bel! Just because you’re my boyfriend, doesn’t mean you can tell me what I can and cannot do!” I argued.  

“Bel’s right, you shouldn’t fight.” Reborn said. “Hibari will wipe the floor with you.” 

“Oh, will he? Well, we’ll just see in a couple days from now.” I said. 

“No puny little girl will be in the Varia, let alone be my guardian.” Xanxus refused.  

“Again, I’m not giving you a choice. If you guys were as smart as you think you are, you’d realise I’m your only option.” I said. “Look, Gola Moska is a hunk of junk, and Hibari will slice right through him.” 

“He’ll do the same to you!” Bel exclaimed.  

“No. I’ve got a plan. He’s not going to touch me if there’s something I can do about it.” I smiled.  

“But there isn’t.” Tsuna said. “You don’t know how scary Hibari-san can be!”  

“I know perfectly well what Hibari is capable of. Look, guys, we would have lost this one anyway. If things get too far, Bel or Lusssuria-chan can step in. Hibari is only fighting to get stronger and to see Mukuro again. If you step in, he’ll surely just walk away because he has no more reason to fight me. It’s not like I’ve done anything to anger him.” I explained. “It’s fool proof.” 

“I don’t believe you. Gola Moska is designed for fighting, he won’t be taken down so easily.” Xanxus said. “I don’t trust you, trash.” 

“What part of what I’m saying makes you think you have a say or choice or opinion at all in this matter? I’m your Guardian of Cloud, so, shut up, accept it, and wait for me to win you a ring tomorrow. If things get too out of hand, and my plan fails, just step in, and the battle will end. That’s all you can do.” I stated.  

“Looks like we’ve got no choice.” Squalo smiles.  

“Her plan makes sense, and it is fool proof. She can use her cuteness to make Hibari not lay a finger on her.” Lussuria-chan suggested.  

“Hahahahahahahaha!” I laughed. “My cuteness? I’m not cute at all! In fact, if anything, I’m a huge turn off to Hibari. What regular normal guy likes a girl who is stubborn, always yelling, and... and being a total stick in the mud.”  

“Me.” Bel said.  

“I said what normal guy. You’re the polar opposite of normal. All of you guys are. Strong, courageous, and full of will power. And then, there’s me. I really don’t fit in here...” I said.  

“You’re wrong.” Tsuna said.  

“You’re just like us, Maya-chan. You fit in perfectly.” Lussuria-chan smiled and hugged me.  

“You think we’re courageous? Take a look in a mirror. You’re about to challenge someone you know deep down you don’t have a chance against, just to try and help the people you care about. If that isn’t courage, than I need to update my dictionary.” Reborn smiled.  

“No... I know Hibari won’t do anything. In fact, I’m counting on it. If he does, he’ll hurt either me or Bel. If this plan works, then everything will be fine. If it doesn’t, I’m done for. I’m gambling... betting on the future. I’m just doing what I can to try and keep it on track. If I hadn’t been here in the first place, then the future wouldn’t have changed a bit.” I said.  

 

“Nope, the future still would have changed, slightly. I’m proof of that. I was supposed to give in and let Bel win, but, I didn’t. As a result, now you have to fight Hibari. This shouldn’t have happened.” Gokudera explained. “I’m sorry. I had a little too much self-confidence and thought I could win in the last few seconds and stop the turbines.” 

“Don’t apologise.” Bel said. “Things happen for a reason. Obviously, Maya-chan is needed here. At least for now. Who knows, maybe after this big battle in the future, something will come up, and Maya-chan will be able to save the world. Something is going to happen that wasn’t supposed to happen in the anime, so, we were brought someone to counter that change, so that the future would still be bright.”  

“What can I do?” I asked. “I can’t even get you to listen to me. You’re still going to send me home. As long as I can’t even get you guys to let me stay, there’s nothing I can do to help you in the future.”  

“VOOOOOIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!! What’s with you!? Since when do you care what we think! You just said we have no choice! Now you think you can’t do anything!?” Squalo exclaimed in an irritated tone. 

“Shut up, Squalo!” I yelled.  

“That’s more like it! Jeez, what the hell happened to you!?” He asked.  

“You guys really like me better like this? Yelling, bossing you around, telling you that you have no opinion and to shut   
up?” I asked.  

“That’s just who you are, Maya-chan.” Lussuria-chan smiled.  

“Yeah, so shut up, accept it, and win us a ring tomorrow.” Xanxus quoted me. 

“Nobody likes a weakling, so, it’s a good thing you’re strong willed.” Mammon said.    

“Okay, I won’t say anything like that again.  I promise.” I smiled as I held my pinkie to him. He was confused. “It’s called a pinkie promise. You shake pinkies the way you would shake a person’s hand. Pinkie promises are strong, and   
cannot be broken, no matter what. They’re as strong as I am.” 

“Well then, that makes me a bit nervous. It’s a good thing we didn’t do that for last night’s promise.” Bel said.  

“We should have!” I exclaimed.  

“The promise has already been made, so we can’t re-make it.” Bel said.  

“There’s no rule against that!”  

“Yeah, there is.” 

“What!? Where?!” 

“In my head.” 

“Well, clearly I’ve got a couple more things to get out of your head then!”  

“They really are an unruly group.” Tsuna said as he smiled at us.  

“Well, someone needed to create some comedy in that anime, so I guess that’s what they were for.” Reborn smiled, too. 

“You’re funny, too, Reborn. I bet people laugh every time you kick me in the head or back.”  

“If that’s the case, I should do it more often.” 

“That’s.... not what I meant....” 

Then, we left. I didn’t sleep that night. I was worried. I seemed all strong and confident when I was in front of everyone, but, the truth is I have no fucking clue what I’m doing. Hibari will either a) think it’s a waste of his time to fight someone week like me, or b) kick my ass until Bel has a chance to intervene. And, if Bel intervenes, Hibari will either a) attack Bel for getting in his way or b) leave because the battle is officially over and he didn’t really feel like being there in the first place, he was only fighting so he could fight Mukuro. Let’s hope a fight between Hibari and Bel doesn’t break out. 

The next day, it was Mukuro/Chrome vs. Mammon.  

 

“Who’s my opponent?” Mammon asked. “I can’t find them with my powers, which is very troubling. Who is this person who is Tsunayoshi’s Mist Guardian?” 

“Honestly, do you ever stop, Mammon? She’ll be here any minute now.” I assured him.  

“I—I’m here, Boss.” Chrome said, entering the room with Ken and Chikusau.  

“Right on time, Chrome-chan.” I smiled and waved.  

“Do we... know each other?” Chrome asked.  

“I know you, but, you don’t know me, yet. But, hopefully, we can become awesome friends, because I know just how awesome you are!” I beamed, but that just made her shy away more. Finally, Tsuna and his guardians picked their jaws up from the floor and screamed.  

“IT’S THE GUYS FROM KOKOYO LAND!” Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto screamed.  

The whole thing with Gokudera telling Tsuna not to let Chrome fight, and Ken fighting with Gokudera, and Reborn watching his hilarious plan unwrap happened. Finally, Tsuna agreed to Chrome being his guardian. 

“Watch this.” I whispered to Lussuria. “Tsuna’s face is the best thing ever.” 

“Thank you, Boss.” Chrome said, kissing Tsuna’s cheek. Gokudera exclaimed rude names at Chrome, Tsuna screamed and jumped back, while Lussuria and I pointed and laughed.  

“Hahahahahahahahaha!” I laughed. “That was even better in real life than it was in the anime!” 

“That was so cute and so funny!” Lussuria laughed along with me.  

“Y—y—y—you knew about this!?” Tsuna said, embarrassed.  

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!” I laughed even harder at his face.  

“Okay.... that’s a little too much...” Bel frowned.  

“Oh, come on! Ahahahah! If you would have seen his face in the anime, you would have laughed too, comparing it to now! Ahahaha! And then there’s the—ahahaha!—Haru-Haru-Interview!!! Ahahahahahahahaha! “I’ll get the truth from Tsuna-san!!!” and then she wears a chicken suit with a knife and goes around all AHHHHHHH!!!! And then Chrome-chan comes out, looks at the picture of this, and then goes back into hiding as soon as Haru comes back!!! It’s hilarious!” I laugh while everybody gave me weird stares and looked at me like I had six heads. “Okay.... I’m done now... you all have absolutely no clue what I’m talking about..... and.... I DON’T LIKE THE LOOKS YOU’RE GIVING   
ME!”  

“Enough, let’s proceed with the match.” The Cervello said.  

The match went exactly as planned. Everyone freaked out when Chrome’s organs disappeared, but, I knew exactly what was going on, and explained things so they would be less worried. Mukuro appeared, beat the shit out of Mammon, and, as a result, won the Mist Ring. Just as I thought. Now... the last battle, the battle of the Guardians of the Ring of Cloud, was up to me.   

Vongola the Ninth. He’s inside of Gola Moska. I haven’t told anyone that, yet. But, somehow, it’s got to be revealed.   
It was supposed to be revealed in the battle for the Ring of Cloud tomorrow, but, that’s not happening since I’m fighting. Does Xanxus still plan on framing Tsuna for killing Vongola the Ninth? I can’t let that happen again! I needed to make sure Xanxus didn’t hate me, so I could stay, and change all of them for the better... but... now, there’s nothing holding me back. 

“Xanxus.” I said firmly as I walked into his room.  

“What do you want, trash?” He asked. 

 

“It’s about Gola Moska. You need to set the Ninth free.” I demanded.  

“That was revealed, eh?” 

“Yeah, it was, and now, you need to set him free. I was hoping I made enough changes in you so that you wouldn’t do it in the first place, but, I was wrong. Now, you need to make things right, and set him free.” 

“Why should I listen to you? I’ve only been letting you do and say whatever you want because I knew I had this as   
insurance.”  

“Don’t you know that it’s wrong! What you’re doing is very wrong! Vongola 9th chose Tsuna! But, you decided you wanted to be Vongola 10th because you were raised as his son! You had a cold heart, though! Capturing your own   
father is proof enough of that!”  

“That damned old man abandoned me! I was locked in ice for eight years! If that’s not cold hearted, I don’t know   
what is!” 

“You were frozen because you tried to take over Vongola! You’re power hungry! I thought I’d stopped that at least a little bit! But, no, I guess I haven’t!” 

“I was a good and loyal son to that cursed old man all my life, and then he rejects me as Vongola 10th! You don’t understand shit about me!” 

“Look, I get that it made you feel abandoned and unwanted, but, you don’t go and kidnap your dad for that!   
Revenge is never the answer! Going around making people feel as bad as you’ve felt won’t change anything.” 

“Then what will!?” 

“Becoming a better person! If you really want to change things for the better, than you have to act good. You can’t be an evil dude and expect a happily ever after! That’s why you have to fight with Tsuna! He’ll teach you that, you’ll become a better person, and, when push comes to shove, you Vongola will stick together!” I exclaimed. Then, I realised what I said. “Shit...” 

“What’s acting good? Donating money to charity, volunteering at hospitals? That’s not something I can do.”  

“Yeah, I figured that. But, acting good would probably start by letting your father go.” 

“I can’t do that, I’ll lose, and I’ll never make it to be Vongola 10th.” 

“Is that really that bad? You’re lucky enough to have the amazing people in the Varia. You take them for granted. You call them trash, and hit them, and order them to kill one another. Being a good person doesn’t have to go so far as volunteering or charity. It can just be taking care of and being kind to the people who you care about and who care about you.” 

“They don’t care about me.” 

“Of course they do! They wouldn’t tolerate being called trash every day if they didn’t. They’d pick up and leave if they didn’t love you.” 

“So, that means you love me, too, then, right?” Xanxus said, cornering me, coming in closer.  

“Y—y—you’re missing the point... I’m talking about Bel, Lussuria-chan, Squalo, Mammon, and Levi. They’re the ones who’ve been here with you and put up with your attitude the longest. They love you the most.” I said, turning red. Xanxus was too close for comfort.  

“Awe, you’re cute when you’re nervous.”  

“W—w—what do you think you’re doing?”  

“You said I shouldn’t take the people that love me for granted, so I’m not.” Xanxus moved in and was about to kiss   
me, when I slapped his face as hard as I possibly could. He was stunned.  

“NOT AS PLANNED!!!!!” I yelled, and ran out of the room.  

“Bel’s a lucky guy.” Xanxus laughed.    
When I was a good distance away, I stopped, sat on the floor against a wall, and caught my breath. I looked around, and realised I was on the roof. It reminded me of the roof Bel and I were on back in Italy before the Ring Conflict started. This might just be my last time on a roof like this.  

“Found you.” Bel said. I freaked out and backed away.  

“Oh, it’s just you, Bel.” I sighed and calmed down.  

“You’re scared, aren’t you. Don’t fight tomorrow. Nobody expects you to. Tsuna and his group are supposed to win anyway, so, what does it matter if Gola Moska is beaten by Hibari?” 

“I can’t explain why Hibari vs. Gola Moska would be a problem. If I can get Xanxus to do something, then nobody will get hurt tomorrow. If he doesn’t listen to me... we’ll have a problem.” 

“Xanxus knows enough to listen to what you have to say.”  

“I already told him what he needs to do to make things right, but he refused. If he refuses to do this, then he’ll end up getting Tsuna more angry than he’s ever been in his life.” 

“What!? What is Xanxus planning?”  

“He... he kidnapped Vongola 9th. He’s powering Gola Moska with Vongola 9th’s Sky Flames. Then, he’s going to get Gola Moska to rampage, causing Tsuna to interfere, take down Moska, and unknowingly hurt Vongola 9th in the process. Tsuna will be framed.” 

“That’s going too far, Maya-chan.” 

“You don’t believe me?” 

“I heard the two of you in there. He was about to kiss you, wasn’t he? I would have barged in, but, I knew you could handle it. Now you’re going to make things up to get back at him?”   
“I’m not making any of this up, it’s the truth! It happened in the anime, and he admitted he did it for real! You must have come just for the last part. We argued over what the right thing to do was, and I told him it was to take care of the people he loves and the people that love him. And then... he started.. moving closer... and I was....” 

“Nervous. I heard him say that. I came up to the door when you were telling him to not take us for granted. He turned that into something ugly. And now, you’re turning this whole Ring Conflict into something ugly. Xanxus loves Vongola the 9th.” 

“Then why did he try to take over the Vongola Family eight years ago during the “crib” incident!?”  

“What are you talking about?” 

“You don’t even know about the crib incident? Xanxus and his gang, including Squalo, broke into Vongola HQ and caused the biggest crises in its history. He was frozen in Vongola 9th’s  Zero Point Breakthrough, though. He was unfrozen and he took over the Varia.”  

“Maybe back then he would have done something like that, but he’s changed.” 

“We’ve all changed. But, some have changed more than others. When Xanxus put his plan into action in KHR, you laughed. But now, you don’t even believe that he’d do something like that.” 

“And I never believed you’d do something like this.” Bel said, and then, he left.  

“I’m telling you the truth, Bel... you’ll see tomorrow.” I whisper once he’s gone.  

“Well, isn’t that interesting. You can’t even get Bel on your side anymore.” Xanxus laughed.  

“Shut up, Xanxus! Unless you’re ready to release your dad, there’s nothing more I have to say to you, so just leave me alone.”  

“As expected from you, Maya-chan!”  

“Shut up, you can’t call me that!”  

“You let Bel and Lussuria call you that.” 

“Yeah, that’s because they don’t go around kidnapping their fathers.” 

“Bel murdered his brother.” 

“Shut up, that’s in the past... kind of...” 

“Kind of?” 

“Since when do you even take any interest in them?” 

“Since you told me to be a nicer guy.” 

“Just release your father already, dumbass.”  

“Oh! You’re a Tsundere! That explains a lot!” 

“Listen here, you asshole, I’m not a Tsundere! I’ll act however the hell I want to act!” 

“I’ll do the same. But, you know what would be fun? Being someone different for a day. I’ll be the good guy and release the stupid old man, if you be mine.” 

“What!?” 

“It’s a pretty good deal, isn’t it? We both get what we want.” 

“Even if it’s just for a day, I will never be yours! I’ll always be Bel’s! He can send me home, he can try and stop me from helping him in fights, but, at the end of the day, he’ll still have my heart! So, go ahead, try whatever kind of fucked up shit you want, I’ll find a way around it!”  

“Oh, will you? That’ll be interesting to see! But... my poor old man... he’s not feeling too good inside of Gola Moska,   
so, you’d better hurry with your ‘way around it’.”  

“Go fuck yourself, dumbass!” I exclaim, slap his face, and leave.    
This can’t be happening! Bel already thinks I’m lying! If I told him what Xanxus said, he’d think I was making more up! If I don’t, and he catches us, he won’t believe me then, either! My only option is... the one person who can beat the shit out of Xanxus and look badass while doing it!  

Yup, you guessed it, I went to Tsuna’s house.  

 

“Tsuna-san!” I exclaimed as I knocked on his door. “Tsuna-san, are you home!?”  

“What are you doing here?” Reborn asked as he answered the door. 

“I really need Tsuna’s help. I need to tell him something. Something he, and you, both really need to know.” 

“What happened to ‘not changing the future’?” 

“Well, I changed it already, so, now I have to change it back. Help me, please, Reborn.” 

“Sure, we’ll help. What do you need us to d—” Tsuna agreed.  

“Quick, quick, inside!” I exclaimed, pushing the both of them inside. “I can’t let Xanxus know I’m here.”  

“What is it?” Reborn asked.  

“Vongola 9th is inside Gola Moska. His Sky Flames are powering Moska. Xanxus kidnapped him to try and frame you.   
Gola Moska is going to go on a rampage, and attack Gokudera-kun and the others. Xanxus knows you’ll come to their aid, and take down Gola Moska, hurting Vongola 9th unknowingly. You’ve got to help me get him out of there before you can be framed!” I explained.  

“...... WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!” Tsuna exclaimed.  

“So, the other Varia members don’t believe you, do they?” Reborn said.  

“I already tried to tell Bel this, but, he said I was making things up. If he doesn’t believe me, none of the Varia will.” I explained. “So, I came to the only person who could beat him.” 

“Tsuna, you’ve got your work cut out for you. You have to take down Gola Moska and Xanxus.” Reborn said.  

“Why me!?!?!” Tsuna cried.  

“Bosses shouldn’t cry ‘why me!?’” Reborn and I scolded him together.  

“Pull yourself together, Tsuna, we’ve got a job to do. I don’t know how we’re going to do this without hurting Vongola 9th, but, we’ve got to find a way. Let’s go back to the temporary Varia HQ. We’ll search Xanxus’ room for a key or control or something to help us open up Moska.” I said. “Reborn, just guard the door to make sure nobody comes in, since you’re the smallest you’d be best for it.” 

We headed back to the temporary Varia HQ. Xanxus was out of the room, so we took the opportunity to search it.   
Tsuna was searching under the bed, and I was searching drawers. Just then, Xanxus came back in to find me searching his underwear drawer. 

“So, you’ve changed your mind?” Xanxus asked.  

“No. I’m searching for something.” I answered.  

“I’m right here. Anything else you need won’t be in this room.” He said, walking closer.  

“Stay back!” 

“As cute and Tsundere as ever when you’re nervous, I see.”  

“Just leave the room for ten more minutes, I’ll be out of there by then.” 

“What are you looking for? Maybe I can help you find it.” 

“Please, if you found it, you’d never give it to me.” 

“Is it this?” He asked, holding up a remote that said Gola Moska on top.  

“Does that control Gola Moska!?” 

“For the most part. It can’t stop a rampage, though, so, let’s hope it doesn’t get that far until after your match tomorrow.” 

“Hand it over.” I said.  

“You know, I thought I gave you a pretty fair proposal there, but, you turned me down, so, no, I won’t hand it over.”  

“You know it’s only right to release Vongola 9th. Come on, Xanxus, just hand it over, and I’ll leave.” 

“I’m the boss, you can’t order me around. I do the ordering, and, you’re not going anywhere.” 

“I told you to stay away!” I exclaimed as he came closer. He grabbed my wrists, and pinned me against the wall,   
making me unable to move. But, he dropped the remote while doing so. I couldn’t move, but, Tsuna could grab it if he did it stealthily. “Let me go!”  

“No. I’m going to get what I want. I was trying to do it nicely, but, you wouldn’t cooperate.” 

“The remote!” I exclaimed to Tsuna, but Xanxus thought I was screaming at him.  

“I know that’s what you came for, but, you can’t reach it. What a shame” He said, squeezing my wrists harder. Xanxus leaned in to kiss me, and Tsuna took that opportunity to grab the remote off the floor. I couldn’t stop Xanxus, and while he was busy kissing me, Tsuna snuck out of the room. He would have tried to stop Xanxus from doing this, but, I had already told him what to do in this situation. Reborn and Tsuna went to find Gola Moska, as I’d ordered them to.  

“Let me go! Let me go!” I kept screaming. Xanxus had moved from my lips down my neck. This was probably the most uncomfortable I’d been in my entire life. And, one second later, it was topped when Bel entered the room.  

“Hey, Xanxus, have you see—” Bel said, but stopped when he saw Xanxus kissing me.  

“Get off!” I squirmed.  

“What are you saying, Maya-chan, you were the one who begged me to do this. But, if you want me to let you go, I   
will.” Xanxus said, finally letting go of me.  

“What the hell!!!” Bel exclaimed, looking very, very, very angry.  

“Jealous exes are the worst. Scram, Bel.” Xanxus said.  

“Exes!?” Bel asked.  

“Xanxus is lying! He pinned me up here while I was looking for a remote or something that could open up Gola Moska! It’s the only way to get Vongola 9th out!” I explained.  

“So, you didn’t break up with him like you said you did.” Xanxus frowned.  

“I never told you I was broken up with Bel, in fact, I told you I’d always be Bel’s!” I exclaimed. “Please, Bel, you’ve got to believe me! You know me, and you know I’d never do anything like what he’s saying! He’s lying!”  

“I can’t believe you were a cheater this whole time!” Xanxus exclaimed.  

“Shut the fuck up, Xanxus! Please, Bel, you’ve got to believe me! You know me better than anyone in the Varia!” I pleaded.  

“I thought I did.” Bel said. His angry face turned into a depressed one, and he left.  

“Bel, wait!” I called out to him.  

“Haven’t you done enough already!? Lying! Cheating! What more do you want to do!?” He exclaimed, and kept walking on. I just dropped to the floor and stared crying. But, I didn’t stay long. As much as I wanted to die in a hole, I had a mission to take care of. I didn’t get harassed by Xanxus just to not end up saving Vongola 9th. I ran to the garage, where I saw Tsuna and Reborn taking care of Vongola 9th.  

“He’s safe!” I exclaimed happily as I ran up to them.  

“It’s all thanks to you, Maya-chan.”Tsuna smiled.  

“So, Maya is your name? I can’t thank you enough. You saw through Xanxus’ deception and figured out a way to save me. I am in your debt.” Vongola 9th smiled.  

“You’re welcome. It was the right thing to do. Now, let’s get you out of here before anyone from the Varia finds out we’ve saved you.” I smiled.  

“Too late.” Mammon said.  

“Mammon!” I exclaimed, turning around to face him.  

“So, you are betraying us?” Mammon said.  

“It’s not like that! Xanxus kidnapping Vongola 9th is wrong! You only care about money, so I can see why you don’t think it’s wrong, for a fee of course.” I scowled.  

“Don’t be so rude to the person who controls your fate.” Mammon threatened.  

“Just let us go. We won’t bother you anymore.” I begged.  

“If you take him with you, you can’t come back here to us, Maya. It’s doing the right thing or staying with the people you love.” Mammon said.  

“Tell Bel, Lussuria-chan, and Squalo that I’m doing the right thing, and they’ll see that at tomorrow’s match.” I said. Mammon didn’t try to stop us from leaving. I guess he wasn’t given money. 

The next night, we came, with Vongola 9th, to Namimori Middle. None of the Varia said a word to me, nor were any of them surprised to see Vongola 9th there. I wondered what crazy story Xanxus and Mammon came up with to explain why Vongola 9th was only showing up now. But, the most surprising thing was that I was still considered Xanxus’ Guardian of Cloud. Finally, the Cervello explained the field.  

Bel was shocked as the Cervello started to introduce the battle field. I had a feeling this would be his limit, but, that’s why I didn’t tell him. There’s no backing out now, and he can’t stop me from doing what I need to do because of this battle field. He’s too late to do that. I win.   

“You knew about this field... and you still insisted?” Bel asked in shock.  

“Of course. Some machine guns and landmines aren’t going to stop me.” I said.  

“You can’t do this.” Bel said. “I’m not as fast as landmines or bullets.” 

“Y—you still want to save me, even after everything you think I did?” 

“Even though I don’t believe your outrageous accusations... I still want to believe that everything before that was the real you. That’s who I’m willing to save. Or was. Now I can’t do anything about it.”  

“I know. The only thing I lied to you about was my plan being fool proof. If I step on the wrong place, I’m dead. I didn’t tell you because I knew you wouldn’t let me do it if I did. But, it’s too late for you to stop me now. You don’t have to worry. If I don’t move, I’ll be perfectly fine.” I smiled, although Bel could see I was shaking.  

“I’m not letting you go in there.” He grabbed my wrist. “You made me promise you not to die, and now you’re going into a death trap by yourself?” 

“You can’t stop me, Bel. I’m still the Guardian of Cloud for the Varia, and I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. Don’t you think I felt the same way when you were going to fight Gokudera? You were in just as much of danger as I’m in now. But, I had faith in you, and didn’t try to stop you.”  

“We’re not even comparable! I’m a trained assassin! You just decided to start this fight yesterday! You’re not ready!”  

“I’ll come back, Bel, I promise. And, when I come back, we’ll have one more ring.” 

“She has to go. She’s the Guardian of Cloud.” The Cervello said, taking Bel’s hand off my wrist. Bel watched me enter the battle field. He turned around to Xanxus, gave him the most disgusted look he could, and he yelled at him.  

“If she doesn’t come out of there alive, I’ll kill you.”Bel said.  

“Fine by me. I’d rather die than lose to those pieces of trash.” Xanxus answered.  

“Let the Battle of Cloud begin!” The Cervello said, and Hibari immediately walked up to me. 

“I was told my opponent would be that thing.” Hibari said as he pointed to Gola Moska. My first thought was ‘how did they get Gola Moska to move without Vongola 9th?’ “Not some little girl.” 

“First of all, plans change. I’m your opponent now, so, just shut up and fight already. Second of all, I'm your age, so, don’t call me a little girl, you egotistic brat!” I exclaimed angrily.  

“If you don’t hand over the ring now, I’ll—” Hibari threatened me.  

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, you’ll bite me to death. I know just how strong you are. But, you’ve got a weakness. I plan on using it against you, and taking the other half of the Cloud Ring.” I said.    
Hibari didn’t say anything more, he just came at me with his tonfas. The truth was, I had no plan what so ever. I was counting on the fact that he’d decide I wasn’t worth his time. But, then it came to me.  

“If you hurt me, then who will tell you where Mukuro Rokudo is?” I asked. 

“You know where I can find him?” He asked.  

“Well, yeah, but I’m not going to tell you unless you hand over the ring.”I answered. 

“What do we do?” Tsuna asked Reborn. “If we tell him we know where Mukuro is, too, he’ll kill Maya.”  

“If we don’t, Maya will win.” Reborn said. “And you’ll fight Xanxus. I know you can win. It’s a matter of whether it’s best for you to fight him.” 

“Don’t say anything.” Dino said, coming up behind Tsuna. “I’ve heard all about that otaku girl knowing everything about us. She’s obviously got a plan. If you trust her to safeguard the future, then don’t say anything, or do anything, unless she asks you to.” 

“Mukuro is the Guardian of Mist. He fought last night, against our Mammon.” I explained. “I know exactly where he is now. But, you can’t see him, he’s resting. You’d obviously want to fight him at full strength, right?”   
“Of course. I want to bite him to death when he’s at his strongest.” Hibari said.    
“Then, all you have to do is wait. He’ll come, eventually. Just stick around Tsuna, and you’ll see him again for sure.” I smiled.  

“I’m not going to just take that and leave.” Hibari said. “I’ve been training to fight him, or another strong opponent, and I’m faced with some girl? That’s not enough for me.” 

“If that’s not enough for you, then give her the ring, let Tsuna and Xanxus settle the Ring Conflict, and you can fight me.” Bel suggested.  

“That white haired annoyance beat you, so, you’re no challenge for me.” Hibari said.  

“So, what are you going to do, Hibari? Are you going to walk away because I’m a waste of time? Or, are you going to kill me here? Either way, it doesn’t look like you’re getting much of a fight.” I said.  

“I want to fight the King of the Mountain Monkeys.” Hibari said, pointing to Xanxus.  

“Mountain Monkeys? Really? We’re Mountain Monkeys now? That sounded even worse in real life!” I said, doing a facepalm. “But, if you want to fight Xanxus, just wait until Tsuna has fought him, and then he’d be happy to fight you.” 

“He won’t be at full strength then.” Hibari said. “If I’m going to fight someone, it has to be someone strong, and it   
has to be right now.” 

“How about Gola Moska?” Xanxus suggests.  

“That’s no challenge.” Hibari said.  

“I’d  beg to differ.” I said. “I took Gola Moska’s place because I knew you could easily get the ring from him. But, just because you could get his ring, doesn’t mean you could finish him. Go ahead and try to beat Gola Moska, you will   
fail. And, when you fail, Tsuna will step in and save the day.” 

“That won’t happen.” Hibari said.  

“You’re right, that won’t happen. There are two reasons for that. One; you’re fighting me right now, not Gola Moska. Two; Gola Moska is barely mobile, let alone at full power.” I said.  

“What do you mean?” Bel asked.  

“Vongola 9th is standing right there.” I pointed. “Gola Moska’s power source is gone. Xanxus has probably put some of his own Sky Flames in, just to keep the thing running. Without a Sky Flame pilot, Gola Moska won’t be able to fight like he did when Vongola 9th powered him.  

“Vongola 9th was never his power source!” Bel argued.  

“You still don’t believe me... well, then, I’ll just have to—” I began, but then I was snacked in the gut by Hibari’s tonfa. I flew back, hitting a landmine with my foot, and landing in the range of one of the Gatling guns. I braced myself for impact, but, nothing happened. “What?”  

“There is a malfunction with the guns.” The Cervello said.  

“Thank goodness.” Tsuna sighed. Bel just stood there.  

“This is so boring. Malfunctions, weak opponents, I’m leaving. Here’s the ring, girl.” Hibari said, tossing me the ring.  

“I... won?” I asked myself. “I won. I won!” 

“That Hibari...” Reborn said. “But, I guess everything happens for a reason.” 

“I told you so, Varia! I told you so! I told you I could do it!” I smiled. Then, I remembered everything that happened last night. “Vongola 9th, could you straighten things out, please?”  

“Gladly.” Vongola 9th said. “Everything Maya-san has said is true. Xanxus put me inside of Gola Moska as its power source. I was trapped there, and my flames were taken, and used to trick Tsunayoshi-kun’s guardians into battling the Varia.  Both Iemetsu and I chose Tsunayoshi-kun to be Vongola 10th. And, last night, Maya-san distracted Xanxus while Tsunayoshi-kun hid under the bed and grabbed the control to open Gola Moska’s compartment. If they hadn’t done so, Xanxus would have framed Tsunayoshi-kun by forcing him to attack Moska, therefore hurting me, unknowingly. Thanks to Reborn, Maya-san, and Tsunayoshi-kun, I’m free.”  

“Liar! Why are you lying for them, old man!?” Xanxus asked.  

“Xanxus.” I began. “You caused me a lot of trouble and created a lot of bullshit yesterday. Haven’t you done enough!?” 

“Maya...chan...” Bel whispered.  

“Give it up, Xanxus. You’re caught.” Reborn said.  

“Now, there’s just one more thing to do. Tsuna, it’s time to teach Xanxus a lesson. Get down here, shitty boss!” I yelled at Xanxus.  

“I taught her that one!” Squalo laughed.  

“Why are you all supporting these accusations!?” Xanxus asked.  

“Vongola 9th himself told us this. It’s hard not to believe him.” Lussuria said.  

“Yeah.” Bel agreed.  

“I saw them saving Vongola 9th myself. Don’t lie anymore, Xanxus. You’ve been found out.” Mammon said.  

“VOOOIIIII!!!! Why didn’t you tell anyone if you knew that!?!?!?!?!?!?” Squalo exclaimed.  

“I only give out information for money or if it works out in my favor.” Mammon said.  

“I see I’ve got some work to do on two of you.” I frowned.  

“I’ll be borrowing her for a moment.” Bel said, jumping down, swooping me up, and then running away from Namimori. I didn’t say anything. We went to a nearby park and sat on the jungle gym.  But... it was really awkward between me and Bel. He didn’t exactly learn how to be humble and apologise, being raised as a Prince. And I didn’t know what to say, so we just sat, and looked around, avoiding eye contact. 

“I don’t know what to say...” Bel sighed. “You said the same thing I said to you in the hallway.” 

“I know.” I said. “My plan worked perfectly.” 

“Plan?”  

“My plan to win. Hibari got bored and left. I was counting on that.”  

“Why did you still fight? I didn’t believe you, Xanxus framed you, and yet, you still fought for us.” 

“I love you guys. You could send me home. Call me a liar, a cheater, or anything, and I’d still love you guys. I’ve been dreaming of getting to live out an anime since I was twelve. I’m not going to give up on my dream for any reason what so ever.... and... I can’t... I can’t walk away from you, Bel...” 

“Even after everything I said?” 

“Even after everything you said. You couldn’t walk away, either. You still said you wanted to protect me.” 

“I have to tell you the truth.... I didn’t say I wanted to protect you.... I said I wanted to protect the old you, before   
what I thought were lies.” 

“What if they would have turned out to be lies, and I really did cheat on you?” 

“I... I... I would have... I would have never spoken to you again...” 

“W—what?” 

“I’m sorry... I just don’t have as big of heart as you have... I’m not as accepting or forgiving as you are... I’m sorry... I wish I was...”  

Then, I got up and started to walk back to Namimori. 

“Become the person you wish to be. Let me know when you get there.” I said as I left. Then, I found a nice spot, and cried my eyes out. He would have left... just like that... one false accusation, one cheat, and he would never have forgiven me... ever... how am I supposed to deal with this? What am I supposed to do? I’m... I’m... I’m dying... on the inside... all of Hibari’s tonfa attacks... combined... could not have compared to this pain... I can’t believe he would have just ignored me for the rest of his life, as if nothing had ever happened between us.     
The next night, it was time for the sky match.  

“Tsuna. This is going to be hard for you. Don’t worry, okay? You’ll get your peaceful times back. The future will be the same bright one I saw in Katekyo Hitman Reborn, I promise. Now, teach Xanxus a lesson. And... if we don’t see   
each other for... well, a long time... take care, Tsuna. Take care of your Family, the future, and my Varia.” I said.  

“Aren’t you going to take care of the Varia?” Reborn asked.  

“Who knows?” I asked back, walking away to my battle area.  

“Xanxus. You’d better fight for us tonight, you got that!? If I don’t see you working your ass off for our sake, we’re all going to kick it once this is over! I hope I’ve changed you enough so you actually care about us. We’re your nakama! You’d better treat us like we’re worth something to you!” Then, the battle started. All the guardians fell down from the pain of the poison.  

“Hahaha! So that’s what that trash meant!” Xanxus laughed.  

“Maya...chan...” Bel worried, as he lay on the floor next to Gokudera.  

“Everyone is in danger because of me!” Tsuna worried again.  

“Get yourself together, Tsuna! Maya told you everything would be okay! Trust her, and teach Xanxus a lesson like   
she asked you to!”  

“Don’t you get it, trash?” Xanxus asked. “She knows she won’t make it. She was telling you to take care of us after she dies tonight.” 

“Don’t listen to him, Tsuna! Start fighting! Gokudera, Yamamoto, Hibari, Lambo, Chrome, and Ryohei are all counting on you! Not to mention Maya and the Varia!”   
Tsuna and Reborn’s faces were more scared than I had ever seen them before.    
Xanxus blew up the poles of Storm and Thunder. Bel crawled to the ring and saved himself.  

“I’ll help you on one condition.” Bel said. “We go save Maya-chan first. We’ll save your cloud guardian as well.” 

“S—sure.” Gokudera agreed. Together, they hurried to where the cloud match took place and saved me and Hibari. Hibari left instantly, which didn’t surprise me.  

“Okay,” I said. “Bel, you’ve got to go save Lussuria-chan and Ryohei.  Gokudera, go save Yamamoto. I’ll go and help Chrome and Mammon.” 

“Okay.” They agreed and went off to save our other guardians. Bel successfully saved Lussuria-chan and Ryohei. The Guardians of Sun went off to save the Guardians of Mist while Bel went to find me. Gokudera saved Yamamoto, and the two of them went to save Lambo from Levi. I hadn’t made enough of a change in him, so Levi was still wanting to kill Lambo.  

“So, which side wins?”  Bel asked.  

 

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” I said.  

“I’ll take the rings to the tenth for you.” Gokudera smiled and walked toward me and Bel.  

“Thanks, Gokudera, but I’ll take them.” I smiled. 

“I’m the tenth’s right hand man! I should be the one to give them to him!” Gokudera insisted.  

“No, you aren’t the tenth’s right hand man. You’re a devious, greedy, arcobaleno.” I hissed.  

 

“So, you noticed? How did you see through my illusion?” Mammon revealed himself. 

“It was obvious. I sent Gokudera to help Yamamoto and Lambo. You didn’t know that, or else you would have made   
me see them, too. But, that’s not the problem here. Don’t you trust me, Mammon?”  

“No, I don’t. I want a future where the Varia is in control. We’ve worked too hard for too long to have victory snatched from us by middle school children.” 

“You’re the only one that thinks that way.” Lussuria-chan said as he, Ryohei, and Chrome met on the roof.  

“The Boss and Levi do.” Mammon argued.  

“Yeah, and that’s why we took the lightning bastard down. Xanxus will be defeated by the Tenth, and we will have   
won.” Gokudera said, coming with Lambo and Yamamoto.  

“You’re surrounded.” I said. “Now, everyone, please give me your rings.”  

Bel tossed me the Ring of Storm. Yamamoto passed me the Ring of Rain. Lussuria-chan passed me the Ring of Sun. Gokudera passed me the Ring of Thunder. I had the Ring of Cloud. Tsuna and Xanxus were still fighting for the Ring of Sky. All that was left was the Ring of Mist.  

“Give this to the boss for me.” Chrome said, handing me the Ring of Mist.  

“B—but, I have the Ring of Mist! Mammon said, taking it out. In that instant, Yamamoto took the ring from Mammon and handed it to me.  

“Nice diversion.” Yamamoto laughed.  

“You!” He exclaimed at Chrome.  

“No!”  I yelled back. “I haven’t given you a proper scolding yet, have I, Mammon!? You need to get your shit together! Who wants a world where a dictator rules!? Do you honestly think that a guy like Xanxus is now will not betray you!? After you disappeared during your match, he told Gola Moska to kill you after the Ring Conflict! Don’t you think he’ll kill you himself when he gets the chance! That’s why I have to change him! That’s why I have to change you! Tsuna does that in the anime, and I want that change to happen! Everyone is better because of it! Tsuna teaches you all the value of teamwork and having comrades! But, I can’t wait for that change to happen through Tsuna! I don’t know how you guys can exist. It’s a miracle that you do. And I’m not about to let you be evil on my watch, so smarten up, or I’ll kick your ass!”  

“Who needs comrades when you have money?” 

“Did money stop the Death Heater poison? NO! Your comrades did! So stop being lonely! Let us help you! We care about you, Mammon. We want you with us. And we’re going to make damn well sure you stay with us!”  

“Why? I’m a cursed arcobaleno that people only want for power.”  

“Not us.” Bel said. “Before Maya-chan came, I would have killed you myself if I had the chance. But now, I’d save your cursed ass if you were in danger. We all would. Me, Lussuria, Squalo, Maya, and maybe even Xanxus. I hope you’d do the same for us.”  

“He’s right, Mammon. We’re not the Varia we used to be. We’re not just an assassin squad. We’re a team. A mean, lean, fighting machine. And a machine only works if all its parts work together. We’ve got to safeguard the future! A future we want you in!” Lussuria-chan exclaimed.  

“When Squalo comes back, I’m sure he’ll tell you something just like that, Mammon. Now, let’s go finish the conflict and give the rings to the winner!”  

“O—okay.” He agreed. All of us went to watch the remainder of the sky match.  

“Everyone!” Tsuna happily exclaimed when he saw us.  

“Levi is just knocked out, he’s fine, and Hibari left. Everyone else is safe right here!” I smile back.  

“YOU TRASH! Bel! You released them! And you released the trash that defeated Levi!” Xanxus exclaimed.  

“Of course I did!” Bel exclaimed back. “We’re not the Varia we used to be!” This put a smile on the faces of me, Reborn, and Tsuna.  

“Have you learned anything, yet, Xanxus?” I asked. He just growled at me and continued fighting Tsuna. With every blow, everyone grew more worried about Tsuna. I was at ease, knowing he would win in the end. Bel seemed to sense my ease, and was reassured that whether Xanxus or Tsuna came out victorious, everything would be alright. 

“Don’t worry, everyone. No matter who wins and who loses, they both come out alive with no permanent damage.”  

Finally, we came to the part where Xanxus was frozen. I took the rings and walked up to the frozen boss candidate.  

“Rest up, Tsuna. You have five minutes until Xanxus finishes unthawing. It’s not over yet.” I said.  

“W—what?” He asked. I put the rings on my fingers and touched them all to Xanxus’ ice.  

“I’m going to let you out, Xanxus. You can’t learn anything from in there. Don’t say I never did anything for you.” Five minutes later, Xanxus was unthawed and the battle continued.  

“Oi! What did you do that for!? Tsuna won! You shouldn’t have meddled!” Gokudera exclaimed angrily.  

“I didn’t meddle. Mammon would have taken these rings to the battle field to unthaw Xanxus. I didn’t want to make you guys suffer any longer than you had to. But, without Xanxus’ unthawing, he wouldn’t learn anything from   
Tsuna.” I explained.  

“Xanxus is not a good guy. Obviously the good future lies with Tsuna.” Yamamoto agreed.  

“I thought you were on our side.” Ryohei frowned. 

“If the Tenth doesn’t win because of you, I’—” Gokudera exclaimed.  

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. I understand, and you don’t. If I wanted to, I could have made you or the Varia win from the very beginning. Nobody would have fought or been hurt. But, then none of you would have learned anything or gotten stronger. The point of me keeping this going for you was never to let you decide on your own who Vongola Tenth was going to be. It was to make you all worthy of being the tenth generation. With the exception of Xanxus and Levi, I think we’d have a good future no matter who won now that the Varia are good people. But, Katekyo Hitman Reborn’s mangaka did a really great job with the future, and I don’t think I have the right to change it. So, I’m going to keep the events the same if I can, and I swear on my life that I won’t change the ending purposely.” I explained.  

“We’re losing our trust in you.” Chrome said. “We can’t be sure you haven’t been lying to us the whole time.”  

“Yeah.” The other guardians agreed.  

“Listen here, you ungrateful, immature, middle school shits! I—” I began, but Squalo decided he’d like to speak for me. 

“VOOOOOIIIIIII!!!!!!! If you trash think someone as good and pure hearted as Maya is going to mess up the ending, then you’re fucked up in your heads! Without her, we’d be sadists! So don’t go around acting like she hasn’t saved your asses! Lussuria would have crushed both of Ryohei’s hands, Bel would have won the Ring of Storm after severely beating Gokudera, and Gola Moska would have attacked you all when you were hurt! If you think she doesn’t have your best interest at heart, then think again, you fucking trash!”  

“Squalo!” I exclaimed  “I would hug you right now, but we can’t leave the field! We owe you big time, Dino-san, thank you so much!”  

“You’re welcome.” Dino smiled.  

“He’s been here a while. We know all about Xanxus’ past.” Reborn exclaimed.  

“Good.” I smiled and laughed.  

Levi came back and put the rings in place. As predicted, the Ring of Sky rejected Xanxus.  

“They rejected me because I’m not the ninth’s real son.” Xanxus said. Everyone but me was shocked.  

“You’re the ninth’s son alright. Maybe not biological, but he loved you like you were his own, I can tell you that with one hundred and ten percent certainty. No matter how many times you say that the only thing that matters to you is becoming boss, it will never be true. You loved Vongola Ninth as much as he loved you. But, not having the Blood of Vongola isn’t the only reason. You’re not fit to be Vongola the Tenth, Xanxus. I knew that from the very beginning. But now, both Tsuna’s Family and the Varia are stronger and better people for it. That was the purpose of the Ring Conflict. You weren’t  accepted because you weren’t pure of heart. You are conceded, power hungry, and completely uncompassionate. But that’s not who you will be forever, Xanxus. If you put your mind to it, and change your heart, you can become worthy of being Vongola Tenth. It won’t change the fact that Tsuna is Vongola the Tenth, but in your heart you and your guardians will know that you are worthy. That’s what counts. Now, give the Tenth the ring, and put the new beginning you’ve been given to use. Change for the better, Xanxus. That is all you can do now.” I said as I walked away. “Oh, and Tsuna?” 

“Yeah?” Tsuna asked.  

“You’re gonna go far, kid. All of you guardians are going to go far. Your journey is long from over. You may fight for your peaceful days, but enjoy this adventure while it lasts. Not everyone is so lucky as to have the opportunity to lead a life as exciting as this one. Do your best and the future will turn out perfect. Never. Give. Up.” I smiled, waved, and left Nami-Middle. 

Bel noticed I left, but he decided to give me some alone time after everything that happened the night before. The Ring Conflict was resolved. Tsuna’s Family earned their right to be the tenth generation of the Vongola Family.   
Everything was right.   

There’s just one thing left to decide; whether or not to go home. The Varia didn’t need me anymore. And after setting them up to fail, I’m sure Xanxus and Levi are still mad as hell at me. Bel is probably swimming in guilt, Squalo is trying to catch up on what he missed, and Lussuria... well, he acted like Lussuria. These guys were amazing and perfect without me. There was nothing more I could do for them. So, I turned around, and walked away. When they finally realised I wasn’t at Tsuna’s place or the temporary Varia hideout, they searched Namimori for me.  

“The airport!” Bel exclaimed. “It’s the only place we haven’t checked!”  

“She said she refused to go home, though.” Lussuria pointed out.  

“Well, girls are unpredictable and change their minds easily.” Bel said.  

“What did you do, Bel!?” Lussuria asked in an irritated tone.  

“It’s a long story...” Bel said.  

“What if she’s already left?” Reborn proposed.  

“She wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye to them.” Tsuna said.  

“She just might. That would be the most unpredictable thing she could do.” Bel said.  

“We don’t have time for that, she can’t leave!” Squalo exclaimed, running in the direction of the airport.  

“Maya!” Gokudera exclaimed.  

“VOOOOOIIIIII!!!!!” Squalo yelled.  

“Maya-chan, where are you!?” Lussuria asked in a worried tone.  

 

“Come on out, trash.” Xanxus said.  

“What are you all doing here?” I asked, coming out of the washroom.  

 

“We’re here to take you back.” Bel said.  

“We were searching to the extreme!!!” Ryohei looked. “And we were worried to the extreme too!” 

“I’m not going back.” I answered.  

“Bel really fucked up, didn’t he?” Squalo asked.  

“You have no idea, Squalo... no idea...” I mumbled. “I’m going home now.” 

“You have to come with us! You’re a true Varia member now!” Lussuria said.  

“You guys don’t need me anymore. You’ve all learned your lessons and became better people. I can’t go around   
changing things anymore.” I explained.  

“We’ll always need you, Maya-chan.” Bel smiled. I looked away, avoiding eye contact.  

“No, you did perfectly fine in the anime without me.” I said.  

“Two people died. If that’s perfectly fine, then you’re more twisted than we were.” Bel said.  

“Then, you figure out a way to save them, since you’re the genius. I’m going home” I said, turning around. Reborn stepped in front of me, blocking my way. 

“What part of what we said made you think you had a choice?” Reborn asked.  

“You’re coming with us, so, sit down, shut up, and accept it!” Squalo exclaimed, grabbing my wrist and dragging me out of the airport.  

“Oi! Squalo! Let go!” I said, trying to get my wrist free.  

“No fricking way!” Squalo exclaimed back.   

“Why not!?” I asked.  

“Because we love you, okay!” Squalo exclaimed. “All of the Varia, and all of the trash’s team love you, too! And, we’re not going to let you go anywhere! Who gives a shit about danger when you have Varia quality!? We’ll pull through whatever the damn future can throw at us together! As one united Vongola team!”  

“My work here is done.” I smiled at the ground. “I’ve taught you everything I can.” 

“Now, it’s time to start a new job. As an assassin.” Lussuria smiled.  

“My mom will be so proud.” I laughed. “Speaking of which, they’ve probably got search parties all over Italy for me by now.”  

“Call them.” Bel suggested, handing me his cell phone.  

“Okay...” I said. I dialed my mom’s cell phone number, and she picked up.  

“Hello?” Mom said.  

“Hey, mom, it’s m—” I began, but was interrupted by yelling. I took the phone farther from my ear.  

“Maya-chan! Maya-chan! Maya-chan, is that really you!” She exclaimed excitedly. “Everyone, Maya-chan is on the   
phone!” 

“Maya!” Anna exclaimed through the phone. “You’re alright! You are alright, aren’t you?” 

“Of course I am, Anna. I’m fine.” I smiled, and started to tear up. It was so good to hear from my family after a week or so without them.  

“Maya!” Cory exclaimed. “What the hell happened!? We’ve been worried sick!” 

“You sound like dad, Cory.” I laughed. “It’s a long story...” 

“Who took you? We saw the security tape, and there was a long grey haired guy, and a blonde with hair covering his eyes. They looked very creepy, and they took you.” Dad said.  

“Well, as I said, it’s a very long story. I’ll be coming back to Italy in a month to visit, so, we’ll talk then.” I said.  

“YOU LEFT ITALY WITH THOSE GUYS!?!?!?!?” My mom exclaimed.   

“Yeah, it’s awesome! But, before I go, I’ve been promised a trip to the best anime store in the country! I’m siked.” I squeaked. “Oh, and, one more thing.... I’ll be staying in Italy with them... for good.” 

“WHAAAAAAAAT!?!?!?!?” They all yelled, but, that was when I hung the phone up.  

“You broke that to them over the phone!?!?!?!?” Tsuna asked.  

“If I did it in person, they’d never let me stay.” I said.  

“More importantly, Maya-chan is staying!!!!!” Lussuria said giving me a huge hug.  

“Under one condition.” I said, holding my pointer finger in the air.  

“You don’t have a choice, but, let’s hear it anyway.” Reborn said.  

“I want to be trained by the best. Arcobaleno, Varia, and anyone else who Reborn thinks would be a good tutor. I need to become as strong as all of you are before ten years are up. That way, I can save Yu—I mean, the two people who die.” I explained.  

“Sure thing.” Reborn said.  

“Let’s get started!” I exclaimed.  

The next day, I went back to Italy with the Varia. I was so happy to see my family, and I told them a believable version of what was going on. I lied and said that I was mistaken for someone else, and that’s why they took me. They thought it was all an act, but, once I explained who I was, they stopped the act. We got to know each other, and now, I’ve decided to stay with them. But, they didn’t take that well. In the end, Bel and Squalo had to hold my family back while Lussuria and I got on a plane back to Japan, where Reborn was waiting to train me.  

I took a plane back home once a month to see my family and friends. Eventually, they accepted the fact that I’d left the nest. We emailed and stuff when we couldn’t see each other. I was being trained by Reborn, up until he, Tsuna, and all his guardians disappeared. I knew that meant he was in the future, battling Byakuran. I wanted to steal the ten year bazooka from Shouichi, but, I knew if I did, my present self would be in danger, since I can’t protect myself as well as I will be able to in the future.  

There was one more thing that happened in those ten years. Bel and I got to know each other even better. We laughed at how naive we were to think that our relationship could have worked at sixteen. Once we were both twenty, we started dating again. Six more years passed, and we were pressured by the Varia, Lussuria especially, to get married. But, it didn’t happen. We were too worried about the upcoming battle to plan a wedding. We had watched Byakuran build his Millefiore Family from the bottom. The more he rose, the more worried we got. But, we had faith that Tsuna, his guardians, Reborn, and we Varia members could team up, and kick his family’s ass, while saving the two people who were originally supposed to die.  

“Gamma...” I said in my sleep. “No... don’t go, Gamma... Yuni-chan, there has to be another way to bring back the arcobaleno... don’t do it, Gamma! Yuni-chan! No!”  

“Are you okay, Maya-chan?” Bel asked.  

“Oh... yeah... it was just another dream...” I said, panting.  

“You talk about them a lot in your sleep. Gamma and Yuni.” Bel observed.  

“I—I do? Shit!” 

“They’re going to die, aren’t they?”    

“No. They’re not.” 

“Yuni sacrifices herself to bring back the fallen arcobaleno, doesn’t she? And Gamma, who loves her, gives her his life energy, too, doesn’t he?” 

“H—how do you know that!?” 

“You have dreamed about them consistently the past week, and I’ve been listening.” 

“How are we supposed to save them, while still bringing back the arcobaleno?” 

“I don’t know... They’re all gone... even Reborn... I don’t think we have much of a choice, but to let them bring the babies back.” 

“Even after I told him about the seven cubed waves... I guess Verde didn’t have enough time... But still, nobody is going to die! I’m not going to let that happen!” 

“If we can’t find another way by the time she’s supposed to do that... we have to let her do it.” 

“I know... but, she’s not going to die! Neither is Gamma!” 

“Do you have a plan?” 

“No, but...” 

“I know, you’ll think of something. You always do.”  

“I hope I can. If not, we’re going to have to postpone the revival until I can think of something.”  

“Whatever you decide to do, remember that if you keep them alive, the future changes.” 

“There is no way the future can get any worse than Byakuran taking over the world. He’s already destroyed every parallel world he’s been to. There’s no way Tsuna will lose to him. I have faith in all of us... and in our little moles.” 

“Moles?” 

“Yeah. We have two people high up in Millefiore who are on our side. They’re our friends, and, if it wasn’t for them, we’d die. All of us, along with the world.” 

“Well, that’s a nice thought to sleep on. Ushishishishi.” 

“It’s not fair that I’m the only one having nightmares, so, I thought I’d let you have one, too.” 

“Good night, Maya-chan.” 

“Good night, Bel.”  

The next morning was the day we’d been waiting ten years for; our first communication with the new young Tsuna and his guardians.  

“VOOOOOIIIIIII!!!!!” Squalo exclaimed on his video. “Are your heads still attacked, lazy fucking brats!?!?!?” 

“Hey! How’s it going Tsuna-san!? Have you met Uri-chan yet, Gokudera-kun? I can’t remember... I bet you missed Squalo the most, Yamamoto! Reborn, I miss training with you a lot! Hello to all the new people; Lal Mirch-san, Gianini-san, Fuuta-kun, anyone else I might have missed. I’m Maya, an old friend of Reborn, Tsuna, and the gang’s.” I smiled and waved.  

“Somehow, I just knew this would be ruined.” Squalo hung his head. “GET THE HELL AWAY WHEN I”M DOING SOMETHING!!!”  

“If anyone is ruining this, it’s you! You made Lal Mirch go crazy with your ‘VOOOOOIIIIII!!!!!’.” I growled.  

“Ushishishishi! Nobody will be able to compare to Squalo in the ‘pissing people off’ department.” Bel laughed.  

“Yeah, and now Tsuna is probably thinking ‘even after ten years, these guys are still such an unruly group.’” I said. “Anyway, if you see some kind of Vongola Ring sensed, don’t worry about it. You guys just need to stay at Vongola HQ and train for your battle against the Millefiore.” I said.  

“The new ones probably think you’re a creeper for knowing what they’re thinking!” Squalo exclaimed angrily.  

“Well then, Tsuna, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, and Reborn have some explaining to do, now, don’t they? Anyway, it was good to get to talk to you all, even if it’s only a one way transmission.” I smiled.  

“Don’t go searching for any new rings, even if they are from the Vongola! Instructions will come soon enough, so, sit and wait!” Squalo ordered.  

“Take care, everyone! See ya soon! Okay, maybe not soon, but, we’ll see you in about a month in your time. Shit! I shouldn’t have given so much away! Oh, well, it’s not like they’ll pick up anything from it. Lussuria-chan says hi, too! Xanxus says ‘don’t die, you trash’, and, our new recruit, Flan, says it’ll be nice to meet you.” I said.  

“That idiot, Flan...” Bel scoffs. 

 “Don’t do anything stupid that’ll get you killed! Later!” I waved again and shut off the video.  

“So, she’s still with them. Just as I thought.” Reborn smiled after watching the video.  

“Apparently you have some explaining to do.” Lal Mirch said.  

“Well, the thing is, everything that’s happened since I’ve met Reborn has been made into an anime. That girl, Maya, watched the anime before she met us, and now knows the future. Everything up until we defeat Byakuran. She knew Squalo would make this video, and knew what our reaction would be, too. That’s why she was having fun trying to confuse you and Gianini since you knew none of this.”   
Tsuna explained. 

“Do you really expect me to believe that this is some anime?” Lal Mirch asked angrily.  

“Yeah, we do.”Reborn said. “It’s true. She’s proved it to us by telling us things about our past, present, and futures. I believe and trust her, and you believe and trust me, so you should believe and trust her, too. Anyway, we’ve got to get back to training.” 

A long time went by before we could see them. When Squalo went to Japan, I went with him. Since I went, so did Bel. The three of us came to Vongola HQ (Japan version of course) and Squalo took off with Yamamoto to train him. Finally, the day of Choice came. I was worried. Choice was all random, so, the competitors were bound to be different. This was bad. Very, very bad.  

“Hey, Tsunayoshi-kun. Ready for Choice?” Byakuran said on a video.  

“Just tell us how much energy that device takes to get us to the battle ground, marshmallow-for-brains.” I said.  

“Well, looks like you’ve brought someone with attitude.” Byakuran smiled.  

“Yeah, and I don’t like to be kept waiting. We can give him as much flame voltage as he wants. Let’s start off with ten million. Ready?” I asked.  

“Ten milion!?!?!?” Tsuna exclaimed.  

“Just get out your Vongola Boxes. They’ll be more than enough to take us there.” I said.  

“I never said anything about flame voltage powering the device.” Byakuran said.  

“You didn’t need to, I know everything that’s about to happen. And you won’t like how Choice turns out. We’re going to kick your ass!” I said.  

“How do you know everything?” Byakuran asked, intrigued by what I said.  

“Long story short, I’ve seen all of this happen before in a... a parallel world of sorts. You’re not the only one who’s been there.” I lied. I wanted him to take me seriously, so there was no way I was telling him about the anime thing.  

“You have ten minutes to give us the voltage or else you forfeit.” Byakuran said.  

“No problem at all.” I smirked.  

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?” Gokudera said. “The baseball idiot and Hibari-san aren’t here.”  

“They’ll be here any minute. We needed some suspense, so, Squalo decided to keep Yamamoto training until the last minute.” Bel said.  

“I didn’t think you two were invited.” Byakuran said.  

“Pshhh, we’re the Varia, our style is to crash the party, not use an invite.” I smiled confidently. 

 “I never liked you guys.” Byakuran frowned at us.  

“VOOOIIII!!!! The feeling’s mutual, damned trash!!!” Squalo exclaimed, coming in.  

“Yo, Tsuna, everyone.” Yamamoto smiled. Hibari came in a few seconds later without a sound.  

“Not another Varia...” Byakuran facepalmed.  

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s show them our Vongola Boxes.”  

“Mangaroo to the extreme!” Rhohei cried out.  

“Mukurowl.” Chrome mumbled.  

“Let’s go, Jirou, Kojirou!” Yamamoto exclaimed.  

“Beef Bowl!”Lambo laughed.  

“Beef Bowl? At first, it was funny, but, now, it’s like, really, Lambo, really?” I  facepalmed.  

“Let’s go, Roll.” Hibari said. Actually, that’s the most I’ve heard him say in ten years.  

“Uri!” Gokudera said.  

“Na-Tsu.” Tsuna finished. 

“Okay! Ryusui!” I exclaimed, bringing out a cloud-class dragon-formed Box Weapon. 

“That’s so cool!!!” Ryohei exclaimed.  

“Yeah, this was my very first box weapon. I’ve figured out a way to make it stronger. It was originally a little lizard.” I explained.  

“THEY CAN EVOLVE!?!?!?!?” Ryohei exclaimed again, and his eyes actually became star-shaped.  

“Visone Tempesta” Bel said, and his Storm Mink sat on his shoulder, wrapping his tail around his neck.  

“That never gets old.” I said, fangirling over my boyfriend. I loved the way Bel’s cute little Mink sits on his shoulder. “Wow! We reached 15 million! There’s five million just from us, Bel!” 

“You’ve really grown much stronger, Maya.” Reborn said, jumping on my shoulder.  

“Yeah! You could probably kick the shit out of Hibari now!” Gokudera said.  

“You’re the girl I fought?” Hibari asked.  

“Ten years in the future, but, yeah, I’m still the same old Maya.” I smiled. 

“I don’t believe it.” Hibari said.  

“How about I give you a little demonstration then?” I asked.  

“That’ll have to wait, Maya-chan.” Byakuran said. “Time to teleport!”   

The next thing we knew we were in a big city, just like in KHR. All of the changes to the city to make it more durable had been made, and I was the so excited.  

“Hibari.” I said. “If we can only enter one cloud person in Choice, I’m going in, got it?”  

“One cloud person?” Tsuna asked.  

“In choice, you and Byakuran both spin a wheel-thing that tells you how many people of each flame-class can enter. There’s also a slot for ring-less people.” I explained.  

“Ring-less people?” Ryohei asked. “KYOKO!!” 

“Don’t worry, Ryohei, if we need ring-less people, we’ve got Spanner and Shou-chan. Plus, Bel and I can always compete without our rings and boxes if needed.” I said.  

“You’re not going in there without both me and your weapons.” Bel said.  

“Over-controlling boyfriend alert!” Squalo exclaimed.  

“Shut up, Squalo!” Bel exclaimed.  

“It’s been ten years, Bel... ten whole years... and you still think you can keep me from fighting?” I facepalmed. “You never learn, do you?” 

“Yeah! Let’s fight to the extreme!” Ryohei exclaimed.  

“Can I punch him if he says that again?” Bel asked.  

“No. No, you can’t.” I answered. “It’s Ryohei’s thing, nobody can punish him for saying it.”  
   
“Focus, the battle’s about to begin.” Reborn said, kicking my back.  

 “Let’s begin.” Byakuran said, spinning the wheel. “One sun, one cloud, two mist, and one rain."  
   
“Here I go.” Tsuna said, spinning the wheel. “One storm, one cloud, two ring-less, one rain, and one sky.” 

“Yay! I get to go!” I smiled.  

“Same here.” Bel said.  

“No! I’m going for Storm, knife bastard!” Gokudera said.  

“And I’m going for cloud.” Hibari said.  

“Tsuna, it’s time to choose. Obviously Spanner and Shou-chan are your ring-less, you’re the one for sky, and Yamamoto is for rain. Who’s your cloud and storm?” I asked. 

“VOOOIIII!!!! Why can’t I be rain!” Squalo asked.  

“Because you barely know Tsuna! At least I’m compatible with pretty much everyone! You’d just fight amongst Tsuna and everyone else!” I answered in an equally intense tone.  

“If I’m not going in for storm, Maya-chan isn’t going in for cloud.” Bel said.  

“Choose whoever you think would be best, Tsuna.” I smiled. “I’ll go if you choose me, even if you choose Gokudera instead of Bel.” 

“O—okay... do you think you could beat Hibari?” Tsuna asked.  

“With both hands tied behind my back.” I said.  

“Nope, she’s lying.” Bel said.  

“He’s only lying to keep me safe, but, I want to fight.” I corrected Bel.  

“Well, I have to have Gokudera for storm. We work well together.” Tsuna said.  

“Okay, then Hibari is your cloud.” Bel ordered.  

“Hibari isn’t good with team work... you’d really get involved in this if I asked you to, Maya-chan?” Tsuna asked.  

“Of course! I’d be happy to!” I jumped for joy.  

“No, she won’t.” Bel said.  

“Shut up, Bel! I’m going in!” I answered.  

“Have you chosen your battle crew, Tsunayoshi-kun?” Byakuran asked, eating a marshmallow.  

“Yes. Me, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Spanner, Shouichi-kun, and Maya-chan.” Tsuna answered. 

“We’ve got Torikabuto, Kikyo, Daisy, Saru, and Bluebell.” Byakuran said. “Now it’s time for the marker!”  

“Marker?” Gokudera asked.  

“One person from each team will be marked as the target. The flame is like your life force. It goes out when you die, and the other team wins.” I explained.  

“Our target is... Saru” Byakuran announced, seeming disappointed.  

“Yay! Yay! Yay! This is perfect!!!!!” I exclaimed happily, up until the mark was put on me, too. 

“You’re not going.” Bel said. 

“It’s been decided.” Byakuran said.  

“Pull her out and take Hibari as your target!” Bel demanded.   
   
“We’re not ecstatic about our target, either, but, there’s nothing that can be done now.” Byakuran said.  

“Bel, I’ll be okay.  Don’t do anything stupid, alright? If you interfere, Tsuna will lose for sure. If that happens, and Byakuran gets his way, everything we’ve been fighting for the past ten years will be eternally out of reach. If we don’t win at the end of the day, the world ends.” I said seriously.    
“Tsuna is going to get the worst beating of his life when this is finished.” Bel said.   

“We have prepared two viewing areas, one for the Millefiore and one for the Vongola. Everyone not participating may not leave the viewing areas until the winner has been confirmed.” The Cervello said.  

“Look, bitch.” I said walking up the Cervello closest to me. “Your dumbass organisation cheated in favor of Xanxus the last time you mediated something for the Vongola, so, you’d better be fair this time, or you’ll be in a world of pain.”  

“Sweet one second, swearing the next. Nothing’s changed.” Reborn smiled.  

“Nothing at all.” Tsuna and Gokudera wince.  

“It’s a good thing that Saru is the target for Millefiore.” I said inside the Vongola Mobile Base. 

“It is?” Yamamoto asked.  

“Yeah. Daisy was the target in the anime, but, since this is completely random, it changed. Thank goodness it is, because Daisy is a zombie, and he came back to life, causing us to lose.” I explained.  

“WE LOST!?!?!?!?” Gokudera exclaimed. “WAIT, ZOMBIE!?!?!?” 

“Yup. But, we were saved by an angel, and taken back to the past to train once again. Then, we had a real, and true final battle with Byakuran.... and that’s where... they died.” I said, clenching my fist. “Anyway, what’s the plan, Shou-chan, Spanner?” 

“Well, since you’re their target, we’re going to copy the signal given off from the marker to make decoys.  You’ll just stay put somewhere so they won’t know which one you are.” Shouichi said.  

“Bleah! Boring plan! I need to fight! I’m not going to be a sitting duck!” I refused. “I knew that I’d be fighting in this battle at some point, so, I made these shoes. They shoot Cloud Flames to make me mobile. They’re very efficient and I can move faster than anyone out there, including the air bikes you guys made. No offence, though, sorry.” 

“None taken, these are amazing.” Spanner said, looking at them.  

“So, since I refuse to be a sitting duck, how about I go and take on Bluebell?” I asked.  

“Are you crazy!? She’s a real Funeral Wreath! If you go straight to her, you’ll be crushed” Tsuna warned me. “You should stay here.” 

“No! Bluebell and I weren’t originally in this! To make things even, I have to take her down!” I explain. “If I don’t, she might come and try to attack Yamamoto when he fights Genkishi.” 

“Genkishi?” Yamamoto asked.  

“Yeah, that’s Saru’s true identity. He’s coming back, Yamamoto. But, he doesn’t stand a chance against Jiro and Kojiro. Tsuna, you take on Torikabuto. I’ll go with Yamamoto to where Kikyo will be guarding Genkishi. Either that, or Bluebell will be guarding Genkishi and Kikyo will be looking for me.” I explained. “There won’t be anyone to protect Spanner and Shou-chan, but, they’re not being targeted this time. Gokudera, you’ve got to take on either Bluebell or Kikyo, whichever one isn’t battling me and Yamamoto for Genkishi.” 

“Oi! Why are you giving orders!?” Gokudera asked.  

“Because I’ve been here and done this before! Well, I’ve watched it before, and I know what to do. Gokudera, beware of Kikyo’s speed. Stay by your air bike, and do not, under any circumstances, let him get his vines around Cistema CAI. You won't be able to open your boxes. Tsuna, Torikabuto is a mist user, so, you’d better be careful not to fall into any of his traps. And, Spanner and Shou-chan, try and put on some kind of defense or cloaking device so you won’t be found. Yamamoto, I’ll distract Kikyo or Bluebell while you kick the shit out of Genkishi. What are we doing about Daisy!?” I explained.    
“Daisy will be too busy tracking your fake markers.” Shouichi said. 

“Wow, you’re almost as fired up as Ryohei.” Spanner said.  

“Well, I’ve been waiting ten years for today, so, I’m very excited!” I beamed.  

“You may now start looking for the opponent’s target.” The Cervello said.  

“Let’s go, Yamamoto!” I exclaimed, grabbing his wrist, throwing him on an air bike, and following behind him. His bike had the flame class tracker after all.  

“Look! There’s a cloud and rain flame together with a mist flame! Is that Kikyo, Bluebell and Genkishi?” Yamamoto asked.  

“It has to be! This sucks! We didn’t expect two guards!” I exclaimed.  

“O-ho, we’ve both got our rivals here.” Kikyo said.  

“Ah, shit!” I exclaimed. “Tsuna! We’ve found Kikyo and Bluebell! They’re both guarding Genkishi! You have to take on Torikabuto quickly and get rid of him no matter what! Gokudera, get rid of Daisy no matter what! Then, we’re going to need some help.” 

 “Hahaha! You think Torikabuto and Daisy can be beaten that easily!?” Bluebell laughs.  

“Actually, Tsuna will have no problem with Torikabuto. You underestimate the power of a future Vongola Boss.” I said.  

“Daisy is a zombie. There is no way to kill him. But, thanks for coming to us, now we don’t have to search for you, target.” Kikyo said.  

“When I’m through with you, you’ll wish you would never have joined the Millefiore.” I said.  

“Let’s hope you’re as strong as you think you are.” Yamamoto said.  

“You have no chance against us, no matter how strong you think you are.” Kikyo said.  

“All we need to do is kill Genkishi.” I said. “How hard can that be, Yamamoto did it by himself, and he also killed Daisy in the parallel universe. However, there were two problems. One, Bluebell wasn’t here and, two, Daisy revived. But, since Genkishi can’t revive, all we have to do is get past you, kill him, and then it’ll all be over.” 

“Unless we kill you first.” Bluebell said. I was caught in Bluebell’s water trap.  

“That was too easy!” Bluebell said.  

“Maya!” Yamamoto exclaimed. “Jiro! Kojiro!”  

“O-ho. A puppy and a birdie?” Kikyo asked. “What can you do with those?”  

“Watch and see.” Yamamoto said, transforming Shigure Kintoki from bamboo stick to a sharpened sword.  

“Nice party trick.” Kikyo said. Just then, Jiro and Kojiro manoeuvred around Kikyo, and tried to break the water barrier around me. Kikyo tried to stop them, but Yamamoto blocked him. Bluebell tried to stop them, but Kojiro blocked her while Jiro broke through it. I was released and started gasping for air.  

“Note to self...” I said between gasps. “She’s even more of a heartless bitch than I thought...” 

“Damn! She got out. Boo!” Bluebell sulked.  

“Damn right I did, and I’m not about to go back in!” I exclaimed as I dodged another trap. “Ryusui!” 

“O-ho? A dragon? Bluebell, instead of fighting the same genders, we should fight the same flame-class.” Kikyo suggested.  

“No fair! I wanted to see the dragon! Boo!” Bluebell complained.  

“Trust me, you’ll be able to see my dragon once he eats Kikyo whole.” I said.  

“We’ll see about that.” Kikyo said. “Bring him out, see if he is any match for my Velociraptor de Nuvola.”  

“Oh, please! Our five year old Guardian of Lightning could take down those prehistoric pushovers with one attack from his Vongola Box.” I bragged.  

“Really? Lambo could defeat them?” Yamamoto asks.  

“Yeah, and you shouldn’t have much problem against whatever Bluebell has in store. All you have to do is hold her off until I take care of Kikyo, then, I’ll go in for Genkishi.” I explained. “Anyway, it’s best not to take our eyes off our enemies.” 

“That’s right, don’t underestimate us!” Bluebell said, making a fist. 

“Open Carnage Box.” Kikyo said, putting the ring in his chest.  

“Well, that escalated quickly. Watch out for that, Yamamoto, each of them has one of those things that turn them into a fricking dinosaur or mermaid or zombie or something. It’s really weird. But, that’s their limit. They don’t have any more power than what’s in those boxes.” I explained.  

“O-ho? Someone’s done their homework.” Kikyo said.  

“Actually, I procrastinated on my homework so I could watch this. Totally worth it in the end.” I said. “Now... how to go about fighting some dinosaur hybrid.”  

Kikyo then attacked me with his hair, which had turned into dinosaur heads.   
   
“Who are you cosplaying, Medusa?” I laughed as I dodged the attacks. “Let’s finish him, Ryusui!” 

“One dragon versus a head full of dinosaurs. The odds aren’t in your favor.” He said.  

“The odds will ever be in my favour.” I smiled, dodging another attack. “Ryusui! Go for the box!” Ryusui got close, but not close enough.  

“Now how will you dodge my attacks?” Kikyo said, as some of the heads captured Ryusui.  

“Ryusui!” I exclaimed. I was worried about my little dragon. But, I had another plan. “Well, I hoped I wouldn’t have to go this far, but... you’ve forced my hand, Kikyo. Before Verde died, he gave me this. It was his very last prototype. Reborn explained everything to him about how I would be needing this, and, surprisingly, he just handed it over. Here it is... Dream! Hotaru!”  

“What is that? A little katana?” Kikyo asked.  

“It’s a Zanpaukto, you stupid dinosaur!” I exclaimed. “By the way, you look like you passed out and your girlfriend thought it would be funny to do a bad makeup job!”  

“What!?” Kikyo exclaimed, finally getting angry and serious. This is what I needed. The harder he fought, the better it would be for me. 

“Take this, you egomaniac!” I blocked his attack with Hotaru. “That’s the spirit, Kikyo! Now that I think about it, it makes sense that you wear makeup. Kikyo is a girl’s name after all!” I exclaimed, making him more angry. This time, I had a better plan than dodging or blocking. “Redirect!!” All   
of Kikyo’s power was redirected back at him, in his Carnage Box to be exact.  

“Kikyo!” Bluebell exclaimed. Yamamoto used this time to sneak up behind her, but she noticed too soon. “Boo! I’m worried about my friend, and you go sneaking up on me!?” 

“Sorry, but, I have to win this for my friends.” Yamamoto said, attacking her.  

“Well, one down, one to go. Hold her off a little more, Yamamoto!” I exclaimed.  

“You’ll never defeat my loyalty to Byakuran-sama!” Genkishi exclaimed, finally taking off his disguised.  

“Look, Genkishi, I know Byakuran cured the disease that would have otherwise killed you, but, if a strange man asks you to take over the world with him, you say no!” I said, attacking Genkishi.  

“What do you know!?!?” He exclaimed.  

“Oh, just shut up and die, would you!? I don’t like killing people, only putting them in their place! But, without that marker disappearing, we can’t save the world, so, you’ve given me no choice!” I exclaimed. “Damn. I wish Chrome was here…"

“Take this!” Genkishi exclaimed, making coppies of himself. I couldn’t tell which one was real.  They started attacking me with their swords. I dodged it, but, I ended up dodging the wrong one, and was stabbed in the stomach by Genkishi. “Got you!”  

“Maya!” Yamamoto exclaimed.  

“See!” Bluebell said attacking him from behind. “It isn’t nice to sneak up on people!” 

Yamamoto couldn’t do anything to help me because Bluebell was keeping him busy. Soon enough, Tsuna arrived after defeating Torikabuto.  

“Ts—Tsuna...” I mumbled. He had an expression of pure horror when he saw Genkishi standing over me, bleeding severely from my stomach, and Genkishi’s sword with blood droplets dripping off it. “To—Torikabuto... i—is he dead?”  

“W—what happened?” Tsuna asked.  

“She fell for one of my illusions.” Genkishi said.  

“You’re one lucky guy, Genkishi.” Gokudera said, coming up behind Tsuna. “You’re lucky to have the tenth fight you instead of the knife bastard. If it’s the Tenth, it’ll be over as soon and painlessly as possible. If it were the knife bastard... you’d be in for a thousand years of death.” 

I had to laugh at the Naruto reference Gokudera didn't even know he'd used.  

“Found you!” Daisy said, coming up behind Gokudera.  

“10th, I’ll handle Daisy. You take down Genkishi.” Gokudera said.  

“No.” Yamamoto said. “This happened on my watch. I’ll take him down. I owe this guy a rematch, anyway.” Yamamoto said.  

“Ooh! Now I get to fight the big bad boss!” Bluebell said.  

“It won’t be much of a fight.” Gokudera said.  

“Gokudera... Beware... Carnage... Regeneration... Lizard-form...” I said. “Tsuna... Carnage... mermaid.... water trap... beware...” 

“Mermaid?” Tsuna asked.  

“How does she know I can turn into a mermaid?” Bluebell asked.  

“You can what!?” Tsuna asked.  

“If she can turn into a mermaid.... what can this guy do?” Gokudera asked, looking at Daisy. 

“Lizard...  zombie... regenerate... body parts...” I mumbled.  

“Don’t worry about us!” Tsuna exclaimed. “Don’t talk anymore, it will only make things worse!” 

“Ryohei... Lussuria...chan... they.... they can... save me.... quick... Yamamoto... win...” I begged. But, it was already too late. “B—bel... I’m... sorry...” And then, my marker went out, and Byakuran won. 

“MAYA-CHAN!!” Bel exclaimed, running up to me, with Ryohei close behind. “If she doesn’t come back, you’re so dead, you fucking bastards!” Bel yelled at... well.... everyone who was there. 

“I’ll do what I can... she’s hurt to the extreme....” Ryohei said, trying to heal me. The whole time, Bel listened for breathing or a heartbeat, and, a few minutes later, I’m finally okay... well, sort of. My heart started up again, and I gasped for air, but, I was still unconscious. My marker flame came back. 

“She’s alive!” Tsuna exclaimed. Bel couldn’t say anything, he was completely speechless.  

“That’s our Maya. She goes into battle, completely confident, gets herself killed, and yet, she doesn’t die.” Squalo joked.  

“Hey... you...” Bel opened his Box Weapon and used knives at the same time. But, just as he was about to attack, Byakuran made his way down.  

“Choice is over. We won. It’s time to keep your promise, Tsunayoshi-kun.” Byakuran smiled. 

“Hey!” I sat up and yelled. “You dumbass! If you think that the world will just be handed over to you like that, you’ve got another fucking thing coming, you big fat marshmallow eating sadist!”  

“Oh, do I?” Byakuran laughed.  

“Yeah, you do.” I assured him. “Who needs plans A through X when you have Plan Y. And, our plan Y is Plan Yuni!”  

“Yuni-chan?” Byakuran asked. “Why would she go against her own Family?” Byakuran asked, referring to the Millefiore which Yuni was second in command of.  

“Because you’re a gigantic asshole who wants to destroy the world! I know she’ll be here. Any minute now, she’ll come, and she won’t give you a single one of those pacifiers. You’ve been controlling Yuni’s consciousness this whole time, but, she’s finally broken out of it!” I exclaim.  

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Byakuran laughs.  

“Then look behind you.” I smiled.  

“Yuni!?” Reborn exclaimed in shock. “You’re here.” 

“It’s been a while, Uncle Reborn.” Yuni said.  

“UNCLE REBORN!?” Tsuna and Gokudera exclaimed together.  

“Yuni, get back.” I warned her. “Come with us, we’ll protect you.” 

“I’m afraid I can’t let that happen.” Byakuran said, making his way over to Yuni. Luckily, Tsuna got to her first.  

“I’ve taken all the pacifiers.” Yuni said. “I’m going to bring them back.” 

“You can’t do that, Yuni-chan. You should come back with us.” Byakuran said, playing his Mr. Nice Guy act.  

“He’s got a point, Yuni. Bringing back the arcobaleno would mean sacrificing yourself. No Guardian of Sun can bring someone back to life, only heal them.” I explained. “My tracker went off when I had an extremely low life-force, but, it wasn’t completely drained yet, so I could be healed. If you bring back the arcobaleno, it’s the end for you... and you’re not the only one.” 

“Not the only one?” Yuni asked.  

“I—I’ve got an idea. But, you’re going to have to trust me on this, and let us protect you, just like you came here to ask. Then, we’ll find a way to—” I was saying, but, I was interrupted when a knife was put up to my throat by Byakuran, who suddenly appeared behind me. “You know, I really should have seen this coming...”  

“She’ll be coming with me. If you want her back, hand over Yuni-chan.” Byakuran proposed.  

“Don’t you dare even think about it.” I told him. “I’d rather die than be the reason why the world was taken over by marshmallow-for-brains over here.”  

“I think Bel would beg to differ.” Byakuran smiled, bringing his cheek against mine.  

“What do we do!?” Tsuna asked.  

“A boss shouldn’t be squealing ‘what do we do!?’” Reborn and I scolded Tsuna together.  

“Anyway, what you should do is make a run for it. And, I think you know exactly what the ‘it’ I’m talking about it. Keep Yuni safe at all costs, too.” I explained.  

“We can’t just leave you behind!” Bel exclaimed.  

“You’re going on without me, so, just run already! Every second you stay here is a second you could have been running away.” I said. “Don’t worry, I know everything that’s going to happen, and I’ll see you again real soon. Just g—” 

“That’s enough out of you.” Byakuran said, gagging me. “If you don’t hand Yuni over right now, I’ll slit her throat and then take Yuni back myself.” I wasn’t about to let that happen. Luckily, I was still wearing my boots, so, I used them. I activated the spike function, and kicked Byakuran exactly where he deserved to be kicked. He instinctively let go, and I put full power to my boots, grabbed Yuni by the waist, and made off toward the teleportation device.  

“HURRY!!!” I yelled behind me. “You and I have to reach ten million Flame Voltage really quickly. Everyone should be here soon on their air bikes. I’ll come back for Bianchi, Haru, Kyoko and everyone in the viewing area.” 

“That’s fifteen million Flame Voltage, and you’ll have to fight off Byakuran! You can’t do that! You and I will go back with the first person to get here, and then you’ll go back and get everyone else, so you have a chance of fighting Byakuran.” Yuni suggested.  

“It’s the best plan we’ve got, so, let’s go for it. They’ve only got Byakuran, Daisy, Zakuro and Bluebell here. We’ve got all of our guardians, plus Squalo, Bel, and Reborn. We should be okay until I can get back. Then, we’ll destroy the transportation system. But, it won’t be long until they’re back.” I explained, reaching the transportation system. “Ryusui! Dream, Hotaru!”  

“You did it! Five million Flame Voltage!” Yuni shouted excitedly.  

“Let’s go!! We have an extremely short amount of time!” Ryohei exclaimed, reaching the teleportation system. 

“Right! Thank you, Ryohei-san!” I said as we were teleported. Once we got back to Namimori, I called out Ryusui and Hotaru, Ryohei called out Mangaroo, and I alone was sent back. I was huffing and puffing by the time I got back. Releasing nearly ten million Flame Voltage was hard.  

“Maya-chan!” Bel called as he finally reached the teleportation device. 

“Where is everyone!?” I asked.  

“They’ll be here in a minute! They’re just getting the girls and the viewers! We’ve got to make ten million Flame Voltage, now!” Bel said urgently. I called out Hotaru and Ryusui for a third time, but they barely had enough strength to create their share of the Flame Voltage.  

“Maya! Knife bastard!” Gokudera called out as he lead the pack with Lambo and I-Pin on his air bike. Tsuna was carrying Kyoko and Reborn while Haru was on the back of Yamamoto’s air bike. Spanner and Shouichi took Ryhei’s bike, Bianchi and Gianini rode Tsuna’s while Squalo and Dino were on Dino’s horse Box Weapon, Basil and Fuuta were on the spare air bike, and Chrome and Mukuro were buying time close behind. By the time everyone got there, Byakuran had taken care of the illusions and was very close to catching us. The last thing I did before we teleported again was stick my tongue out at him while pulling down on the bottom of my eye like I was Lambo and I-Pin’s age.   
Byakuran gave me a look. One of those I’m-so-gonna-fucking-kill-you looks. Only he added and-everything-you-love in it, too, and that’s the part that scared me. He was serious. More serious than I’d ever seen him look. Even in the anime, he hadn’t been so serious. Then... he smiled the most evil smile I’d ever seen. And I knew he had a plan... a plan I wanted no part of. 

We returned to the base as quickly as I could. 

“Shou-chan, I’m counting on you to get them home safely.” I said. 

“Home?” Shouichi asked.  

“Yeah, home. As in the past. Reborn. It’s time for Tsuna and his guardians to have another one-week training session. Primo Family Style.” I said.  

“The inheritance!” Reborn exclaimed, knowing that’s what I’m talking about.  

“Exactly. Now, Shou-chan, it’s time for them to go.” I said. Shouichi sent everyone back to the past.   
   
“Work hard in the past.” I smiled and waved 

“We’ll hold down the fort while you’re gone.” Bel said.  

“And you’d better do a good job of it.” Gokudera said before they were transported.  

“I can’t wait to see their Cambio Forma! Beef Bowl! Hahaha! Lambo is the cutest little thing ever! Even when he’s stealing I-Pin’s takoyaki.” I smiled. “He’s all grown up now, though. We’ll never be able to see them this age again.” 

“Don’t worry. Lambo is just as funny when he’s older.” Bel smiled.  

“I guess so, especially when he was dancing in that one episode. And in that taxi scene! Hahaha!” I laughed. “I don’t want them to come back.” 

“What? Why?”  

“When they come back, they’ll be faced with the hardest challenge of their lives. They’ll be hurt, and two of them will be killed if I can’t do anything. Yuni... Gamma...” 

“You said you had a plan, though.” 

“Yeah, I do. That plan involves me doing exactly what Gamma does. Maybe... if we have enough energy from the three of us, we can revive the Arcobaleno while keeping the both of them alive.”   
“That would change the future for the better.” 

“Exactly. I think that’s the reason I was brought here. Tsuna didn’t know what to do when Gamma and Yuni tried to sacrifice themselves for the Arcobaleno. I do, though. And I’m not going to let anyone die. Maybe, if I join them, there will be enough life energy between the three of us to save the Arcobaleno without draining us completely.” 

“Or all three of you will die.” 

“No, that won’t happen.” 

“How can you be sure?” 

“If it was a success last time with just two, I’m sure it will take less from each of us if there are three. But, one of us might die if there’s just three or four of us.”  

“I don’t know what will happen.” 

“Me, either. Maybe Yuni will know.” 

“Maybe I will know what?” Yuni asks as her and all of the others return to the future. 

“Ten minutes are up already? That went fast.” I said. “So, did everyone get their inheritance?” 

“Yup!” Yamamoto smiled.  

“Of course we did!” Gokudera said confidently.  

“Haha! My ring shined!” Lambo laughed.  

“We all preformed to the extreme!” Ryohei exclaimed.  

Hibari said nothing, as expected. 

“It was a close call.” Chrome said.  

“I take it Daemon didn’t go down easy? I knew you all could do it, though. But, I have to say, Daemon’s even freaked me out a little bit when I watched it. But, none of you listened to him, and he isn’t getting the Vongola he wanted. He’s going to have to deal with whatever Vongola Tsuna wants.” I said.  

“Isn’t that right, Tsuna?” Reborn asked.  

“I guess.” Tsuna smiled and scratched his head. “But, I’m still worried.” 

“Everyone is.” Lal said, coming out of the headphones on Tsuna’s head.  

“I thought just Reborn could be shown through the projector.” Tsuna said.  

“Anyone can. And everyone is worried. But, don’t let the worry keep you from doing what you have to do. If Byakuran isn’t defeated, the world ends. Got that!? So, stop your worrying and whining and get training!” Lal exclaimed, and then her hologram disappeared.  

“I love how she can still strike fear into people’s hearts while in a hospital bed.” I laughed.  

“Anyway, we’ve got a battle to fight, so we should listen to Lal and stop worrying.” Gokudera said.  

“Yeah. Yuni, you know where the final battle will take place, right?” I asked.  

“Yes.” Yuni answered.  

“Okay, we need a plan.” I said. “The damaged teleportation system somehow returned to Byakuran, so, we have a few hours at best, as Reborn said.”  

“I didn’t say that.” Reborn corrected me.  

“You did in the anime, so, just hear me out. Byakuran will be back in a few hours with his Funeral Wreathes. Who knows, Daisy might even be able to get Kikyo up and fighting again. This is really bad for us. He’s figured out that I know about the future, and he thinks he can get information out of me. I’m not telling him anything, no matter what.” I explained. “What we were supposed to do was go hide at the base after we cleared all of the Arcobaleno Trials. But, when they return, Zakuro will find this place in a heartbeat. If that happens, we need you to stay back and fight him, Squalo.” 

“Finally, some action!” Squalo said, making a fist.  

“It won’t be much of a fight.” I said.  

“He may be a Funeral Wreathe, but there’s no way I’ll lose!” Squalo exclaimed.  

“Actually, you do, Squalo. You survive, but you lose. Just... make sure to keep it that way, okay? There’s no way you can die. Nobody who’s good is going to die.” I assure him.  

“I hope not.” Tsuna adds.  

“I know not. We’ve got everything we possibly need to win! All of your guardians are here, plus three of the Varia, two arcobaleno, and a boss from an allied family. On top of that, we’ve got Ryohei and his sun activation healing powers. And, finally, we’ve got the rest of the Varia and three friends on the way. Once we’re all together, their Mare rings won’t stand a chance against our Vongola rings and Arcobaleno pacifiers.” I say, finishing my motivational speech. As I do that, we’re found by Zakuro.  

“Nice little speech there.” Zakuro said.  

“Well, I did go onto the finals for my speech in grade six.” I replied. “Tsuna. Take Yuni, be careful, and get out of here.” 

“O-ho?” I heard come from behind us. I knew who that was, and I had really hoped that I’d taken care of him. “You think it will be that easy.”  

“Alright, this isn’t going as planned anymore. Bel, we’re taking on Kikyo. Squalo, you take on Zakuro. Everyone else, follow Haru, she knows where to go.” I said.  

“Wrong again. Your plans just keep failing, don’t they. Boo for you.” Bluebell said.  

“God damn it, don’t come all at once!” I exclaimed.  

"Come on, it's a party!" Bel laughed. 

"I--I don't see how that's a party." I quotes Natasha. 

“We couldn’t just let you have it your way.” Zakuro said.  

“And we’re not going to let you have it your way.” Bel said, stepping in front of me.  

“Bel, what are you do—” I began, but, was interrupted.  

“Get out of here, everyone. The Varia will settle this for you.” Bel continued.  

“We’re not going to just let you take Yuni without a fight.” Bluebell said.  

“Good, because I believe I owe Kikyo a rematch.” I smiled, making a fist. I lit the ring and made a hole in the wall that lead to the outside. “Go on, Tsuna, Yuni. Haru, go to the place the old lady said you could hide if you wanted to run away from home.” 

“Huh?” Haru asked. “Oh! Now I remember! But... how did you kn—”  

“JUST GET GOING!!!” Squalo exclaimed, and everyone ran out. 

Tsuna and all the others made it out safe because Bel, Squalo and I didn’t let Zakuro, Bluebell, and Kikyo out of our sites.  

“Still think I’m gonna lose, Maya?” Squalo asked.  

“Who knows, this shit is turning out so much different from my plans. ALL THREE OF THEM ARE TOGETHER! That means there’s only Torikabuto and Daisy left.” I said while fighting.  

“Torikabuto was taken down by Tsuna.” Bel reminded me.  

“Nope. He’s alive and well.” I said. “When are Lussuria-chan and the others coming!?” 

“He said they were finishing up Millefiore battles back in Italy!” Bel answered.  

“They need to get their lazy asses here now! We’d school these evil shits if we had Levi, Flan, Lussuria-chan and Xanxus.” I said.  

“Voi! That’s what I said! I tried to talk to the damned boss but he was busy. BECAUSE HE WAS FRICKING EATING!!” Squalo exclaimed very angrily while attacking Bluebell.  

“Hahaha!” I laughed. “I remember that part, it was funny.” 

“O-ho? Laughing at a time like this?” Kikyo asked.  

“I do what I want.” I shrugged.  

“I don’t know what to use on you anymore. You can counter my Carnage box and my Vilociraptor de Nuvola.” Kikyo said. “I have nothing up my sleeve.”  

“Just because you give up, doesn’t mean I’ll stop kicking your ass.” I said.  

“I’m not giving up. In fact, I’m bringing out plan G.” Kikyo said.  

“You can’t do that, he’s still in Vendicare!” I exclaimed.  

“As soon as you beat me, I made arrangements.” Kikyo said.  

“Shit! Where is he!?” I asked.  

“He’ll be here any minute now.” Kikyo said.  

“Squalo, I need to talk to Flan, right away!” I ordered, and, because he knew I knew what to do, he listened to me.  

“Hello?” Flan asked.  

“Flan! Have you gotten plan M ready?” I asked urgently.  

“Master?” Flan asked. “Oh, yeah, I got him out earlier. Ghost’s release was moved up, so, I had to hurry to replace him with master and get master out instead.”  

“That’s great! Let me talk to him!” I said.  

“Master! It’s Maya-sempai!” Flan said.  

“Kufufufufu. So, this was all your plan?” Mukuro said.  

“Yeah, it was, now get your butt over here and put it to good use!” I ordered.  

“You’d better speak nicer to the person you want help from.” He warned me.   
   
“If you don’t get your ass over here, Chrome will be in just as much of danger as I’m in now, so, hurry, we’re going to need you!” I said seriously.  

“We’re one step ahead of you, as always. I’ll be there by tomorrow.” He said.  

“Good, because if you’re not, there’ll be trouble. I’m fighting right now, so, I have to go.” I said and then I hung up.” 

“What was that all about?” Kikyo asked.  

“Just talking to Plan M.” I said.  

“O-ho? Using scare tactics now? You think I’ll believe you when you say Mukuro is out of Vindicare?” Kikyo asked.  

“Well, you scared me, so it’s only fair I scare you back.” I said. “You saw through it a little too quickly though. Yo, Bel.” 

“Yeah?” He said, trying to concentrate on thrashing Zakuro. 

“You need to take back everything you said about Flan being lazy and no good.” I said.  

“Really!?” He asked, knowing what this meant.  

“Really, really.” I smiled, and dodged one of Kikyo’s attacks. “You know, Kikyo, I’m getting sick of this endurance challenge. How about we end this?”  

“O-ho? Someone’s getting cocky now. But, it’s alright, because Byakuran-sama is getting impatient waiting for Yuni-sama and the pacifiers.” Kikyo said.  

“Ugh, that damned marshmallow-for-brains.” I scoffed.  

“I’m glad I get to end someone who has such disrespect for Byakuran-sama.” Kikyo said.  

“I’m not going anywhere.” I said. “Dream! Hotaru!” 

“I know that sword’s trick now, and I know how to counter it.” Kikyo said.  

“You’re really naive if you think Hotaru has only one trick. Hotaru was created by the Arcobaleno of Lightning, Verde. If you think that this is some ordinary sword, you’re in for a surprise.” I said. “Bankai!”  

“What?” Kikyo asked, amazed at my transformation.  

“With this, I could take down Ichigo. I should have used it against Genkishi, but, I honestly didn’t think I’d need it.” I said. “Sousou Hotaru!”  

By then, Bel, Bluebell, Zakuro, and Squalo were all in awe of the purple flamed radiating from me.    
“Bankai... no way... Verde figured out how to do that, too?” Bel asked himself.  

“What’s that?” Squalo asked. 

“It’s the final form of a zanpaukto. Wow. She can really do that... Sousou Hotaru.” Bel smiled.  

“Beg for mercy.” A girl said, coming out of the zanpaukto. I heard Bel’s jaw hit the floor behind me. This was Sousou Hotaru’s spirit form.  

“Ready, Hotaru?” I asked.  

“Ready, Maya.” Hotaru replied, and, together we formed a giant light that eradicated Kikyo. 

“HOLY SHIT, IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR VERSION OF FAIRY LAW!?!?!?!?” Bel asked in more awe than I’d ever seen him in before. 

“Yup!” I smiled, turning around. “Round two?” I asked Hotaru.   
   
“DON’T POINT THAT THING AT US!” Squalo exclaimed.  

“It’s alright, Squalo. Fairy Law only eradicates the people that the user sees as enemies.” Bel explained.  

“There’s only one problem.” I said.  

“This isn’t Fairy Law. It will destroy anything in its path.” Hotaru said.  

“Yeah, so, I think I’m going to give it a rest for now. Thanks for everything, Hotaru.” I smiled, and Hotaru returned to sword  form.  

“When Verde comes back, I’m getting one of those made for me.” Bel said.  

“I don’t know, he’s not exactly Mr. Favor.” I said. “But, if you tell him how you kept Yuni safe so you could revive him, I’m sure he’ll think about it.” 

“Oi, have you forgotten you’ve still got two enemies left, idjits?” Zakuro said.  

“That’s right!” Bluebell agreed.  

“Okay, this is where things get complicated. If Hotaru and I take you down, then all of Tsuna’s guardians, along with the rest of the Varia, don’t get fighting experience. If I just let you go... then I can’t be sure that you won’t hunt Tsuna and Yuni down.” I thought out loud.  

“So, here’s the plan.” Bel said, stepping in to help me. “You guys are going to get out of here. We’re going to go back to where Tsuna and his friends are, and then, during the final battle, we’ll let Tsuna’s guardians have dibs on which one of the remaining four Funeral Wreathes they want to take down, meanwhile we’ll have their backs if they can’t handle it.”  

“You’re still a genius, Bel. Whenever I get too caught up on keeping the future the same, you, who doesn’t know what that future is supposed to be, come up with a plan that makes everything work out perfectly.” I said. “So, you two better scram, meet up with Byakuran and the remaining two wreathes, and wait for the final battle to happen, in which, you will all be finished.”  

“Hello?” Zakuro said, picking up what looked like an even higher tech Bluetooth. “Yeah, he’s dead... that cra zy one, who calls you marshmallow-for-brains.... she’s just some idjit... what do you mean come back?! We’re in the middle o—... fine, we’ll be there”  

“What did Byakuran say?” I asked.  

“He wants Bluebell and me to come back.” Zakuro said. “Let’s go, Bluebell. He’s angry.”  

“Tell him we’re quaking in our boots over here.” I said as they left.  

“VOOOOOIIIIII!!!! Are we really going to let them get away.” Squalo asked angrily.  

“It’s not letting them get away if their fate is already sealed. The big battle will happen tomorrow, and they certainly won’t come out victors. We outnumber them, we are stronger than them, and we’re fighting for what’s right. There’s no way we’ll lose. No way in hell.” I said. “Now, let’s go get the others before Daisy, Torikabuto, or Byakuran find them.” 

Then, we met up with Tsuna and everyone. 

“Could you take down any of them with that technique?” Gokudera asked, referring to the technique that defeated Kikyo.   
   
“No, it doesn’t work on everyone. Some people are strong enough to defend themselves from it. They won’t come out unwounded, but, they’ll be able to fight still. And, the worst part is that I can only use this once a day. If Zakuro and Bluebell knew that, they would have continued the fight.” I explained. “Anyway... there’s one more thing that happened. But, Squalo, Bel and I can’t say a word about it. Chrome, on the other hand, should know.”  

“Me?” Chrome asked shyly.  

“Yes, you. You’re our Guardian of Mist, so, there’s something you should know.” I said. Chrome came and sat beside me. I whispered in her ear that Mukuro was coming back, for real this time, and you should have seen the glow on her face. It was like child on Christmas morning multiplied by a kid’s first trip to Walt Disney World. It was almost as excited as I was when I really found out that I had met the true real life Varia.  

“I can’t believe it.” Chrome smiled excitedly. “He’s really... really coming.”  

“Of course he is! He’s not going to let us, mainly you, fend for ourselves against Byakuran.” I explained. “The Varia are also on their way here.”  

“Really?” Tsuna said. “You guys are such an unruly group...”  

“Well, that’s the way we like it. You guys are almost as unruly as we are. Hibari trying to bite you all to death, Gokudera blowing things up, Bianchi trying to poison you all with her food, Dino falling over everything, Lambo and I-Pin being the little children they are, Reborn kicking you in the back, need I go on?.” I said. “Anyway, they’re coming to help us. And, when they get here, along with who I told Chrome is coming, all will be well, and we’ll have victory in the bag.” 

“So, that’s why you wanted to talk to Flan... to make sure he did his job of bringing this guy to us when he came with everyone.” Squalo said.  

“Yeah. Plus, Flan’s little errand to get him here safely was moved up, so, I had to make sure he knew it was moved up and did it sooner.” I said.  

“Can you just tell us who’s coming already?” Gokudera complained.  

“No. It’ll be awesome to see the look on everyone’s faces when he arrives.” I smiled. “Anyway, there’s just one little thing we need to do before we head to the battle field.” 

“What’s that?” Reborn asked.  

“We need to gain another friend while kicking the ass of Torikabuto. Chrome, keep Daemon’s Lens on standby. When Lambo wakes up, be sure to check him out.” I said.  

We sat there hiding for about a half hour before we heard Lambo wake up.  

“Lambo-san woke up!” Lambo exclaimed, playing around energetically.  

“Mukurowl, Cambio Forma.” Chrome said. “She’s right! That’s Torikabuto!” 

“Yuni!” Tsuna exclaimed as Torikabuto grabbed her.  

“It’s alright, Tsuna. He won’t get very far.” I smiled. Everyone tried to stop him, but, I told them not to. “Guys, it’s better if you let him just get outside the door. You’ll see. If he’s not on time, Chrome and I will take care of him ourselves.” 

Just as Torikabuto was out the door, flying away, Gamma drop kicked his ass, and caught Yuni.  

“Are you alright, Princess?” Gamma asked.  

“Gamma!” Yuni smiled.  

“Told ya.” I smiled as I watched them together.  

“The lightning bastard!” Gokudera yelled.  

“It’s okay, Gokudera. He’s on Yuni’s side, which means he’s on our side as well. He’ll help us.” I explained. “Oi! Gamma! Where are Nosaru and Tozaru!” 

“We’re right here. How do you know us?” Nosaru asked.  

“Long story short, I know everything. By the way, I like your hair Nozaru.” I smiled.  

“Boo! Why are these twerps getting in our way!” Bluebell asked.  

“Because you’re trying to hurt our friends.” Tsuna said, in hyper dying will mode.  

“We’re doing this for Byakuran-sama.” Zakuro said.  

“He’s nothing more than an evil dude with marshmallows for brains. Plus, I thought we told you to stay away!” I exclaimed, bringing out Hotaru.  

“We don’t listen to idjits.” Zakuro said.  

“Fine then, prepare to get your ass whooped. Bankai! Sousou Hotaru!” I exclaimed. Hotaru appeared beside me. “I’ll take Bluebell, you take Zakuro.” 

"Beg for mercy.” Hotaru said to Zakruo.  

“Tsuna and Chrome, work together to take down Torikabuto.” I said as I attacked Bluebell.  

Bluebell and Zakuro saw the defeat of Torikabuto at the hands of Tsuna and Chrome.  

“Nobody said anything about Vongola Boxes!” Bluebell complained.  

“Oi! Funeral Wreathes!” I yelled at Zakuro and Bluebell. “Get the hell out of here! There’s no way you can defeat me and Hotaru. Even if you could, we have all of Tsuna’s guardians here, plus two others from the Varia, and arcobaleno, three Giglionero Family members, three technicians, a master of martial arts, and that’s not even everyone who’s here, let alone everyone who’s on their way. If you think you can take Yuni back at all, let alone unharmed, you’re the idjits!”  

“VOOOII!!! We could take them both down here, why are you letting them get away!?” Squalo asked.  

“Yeah! If we let them go, they’ll just come back to try and take her again!” Gokudera exclaimed.  

“Shut up, you two, I got this! Kikyo was supposed to tell them to get away! But, I killed him, so now I’m doing it in his place!” I yelled.  

“She’s up to something.” Reborn said.  

“She’s keeping everything the same.” Bel said.  

“There’s only four left now.” Yamamoto said.  

“Actually, that’d be three.” I corrected him. “Hibari should be just about done punishing Daisy for damaging school property now.” 

“Hibari-san took out Daisy!?” Tsuna asked.  

“Using Aloudie’s Handcuffs.” I added. “He takes arresting someone to a whole new level.” 

“You know, I used to think otakus were weird, but now you’re using that to save our lives. Thank you, Maya.” Yamamoto smiled.  

“No problem, I’m happy I can help. Anyway, lead the way to the forest, Yuni.” I smiled, and we came to the forest. Everyone was nervous once again.  

“The final battle is tomorrow.” Reborn said around the fire.  

“It’ll all be over then. This adventure, all of our good times, your visit to the future.” I sighed.  

“Yeah! And we can finally go back to the past, and peaceful times!” Tsuna smiled.  

“Good luck with that.” Bel chuckled.  

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Gokudera asked.  

“He’s the Vongola Boss. There’s no such thing as peaceful times in the mafia, especially when you’re the boss. You’re in for a life of fighting.” Squalo explained.  

“No, that’s not who Tsuna is.” I said. “There are going to be peaceful times for you, Tsuna, I just know it.” 

“Yeah, partly because you’ve already lived it out.” Ryohei said.  

“Actually, we don’t get to see you guys much.” Bel corrected him.  

“We never knew what you were doing, if you were in danger, or any of that. I thought about you guys a lot.” I said. “But, I knew there was no way anything bad could happen to you without my knowledge. Unless it’s a global crisis, you won’t be in any danger. That’s how strong you guys are.” 

“We’re really lucky to have the Varia.” Yamamoto said. “You’ve made this whole ordeal so much easier.” 

“Yeah, we did what we could.” Squalo said. “Anyway, we’ve got a big day tomorrow, and I won’t stand for any slacking while the three of us are working our asses off for you.” 

The next day, the inevitable happened, and we were attacked.  

“Everyone ready?” I asked, waking up in the morning.  

“What’s for breakfast! Lolipops? Omelets? Onigiri? Takoyaki?” Lambo asked, jumping around.  

“There are more important things to be worried about, stupid cow.” Gokudera scolded him.  

“Give him a break, Gokudera-kun. He doesn’t know what’s going on.” Tsuna reminded him.  

“Don’t you know that Lambo-san is invincible?” I smiled, bending down to give Lambo a high five. 

“Well, maybe not invincible, but he comes through when he’s needed.” Ryohei said.  

“Reborn and his hypnosis made sure of that. Anyway, everyone should get to their battle stations. Bel and I will join Ryohei, Basil, Nosaru, and Tozaru. Everyone else, take the same battle formations we talked about last night. Ghost will be coming early, so stay on standby, Tsuna.” 

“Right.” Tsuna said.  

“Hibari is probably not coming, unless something changes his mind. The Varia should be here soon with our special guest, and then we finish off Zakuro, Bluebell, and Ghost. Tsuna, the one and only way to finish up Ghost is to suck away all his power before he sucks all of yours and ours. Use your zero-point-breakthrough.” I finished. “Alright! Let’s go!” 

“Don’t be so hasty, idjits.” Zakuro said, coming up behind me.  

“Shit.” I said, not able to turn around because I know I’d be attacked if I made a single move.   
   
“So, you really know how this thing is going to turn out?” Bluebell asked. “You can really predict the future?” 

“No, I can’t predict the future. I just... saw this event happen before. But, yeah, I do know how this thing is going to turn out. There’s only four of you in total. Tsuna can take Ghost down in a matter of minutes. Our little Lambo took down Kikyo’s dinosaurs in one attack. And then, there’s me and my boys, who’ve already killed one of your strongest team members. Finally, there’s Tsuna’s guardians. They’re all ready to take you and Byakuran down.” I said. “You’re here now, so every chance you had of living is now gone. You’re going to lose for one reason, and one reason only; because we were your opponents!”  

“I don’t care about that, all I care about is that you know everything about how this is going to turn out.” Zakuro said  

“Basically. I know everyone’s attacks, how to use them, how to counter them, all of that.” I answered.  

“In that case, say goodbye to your friends.” Zakuro said, transforming into his carnage T-Rex form and grabbing me so I couldn’t move.  

“You have ten seconds to put her down before I kill you.” Bel said, opening up   
his Visone de Tempesta.  

“Not if I have anything to do about it.” Bluebell said, stepping in front of me and Zakuro.  

“VOOOOIIIII!!!! He’s not the only one you need to worry about! You’ve got to handle all of us!” Squalo exclaimed.  

“Ghost! Come here, boy!” Bluebell called it as if it was a dog.  

“TSUNA!!! YOUR TURN!!!” I yelled as I was being taken by Zakuro.  

“MAYA!!!” Bel yelled, trying to give Bluebell the slip. Both him and Squalo were being occupied by Ghost and Bluebell. Gokudera and Ryohei were hurt from Torikabuto at the realtor’s. Yamamoto, Chrome, Reborn, Yuni, along with everyone else was getting their power sucked by Ghost.  

“LAMPO’S SHIELD!!!! LAMBO, DON’T YOU WANT TO SEE TSUNA’S MOM AGAIN!” I yelled as loud as I possibly could.  

“Mama...” Lambo said starting to cry. “BEEF BOWL! CARMA FULMINE!!!” Lambo released his Vongola Box, and, Bluebell went down. She wasn’t dead, but she was a hell load less trouble.  

“Hahaha! Carma Fulmine! That never gets old!” I laughed. I was out of sight and hearing range of everyone now. “Oi, Zakuro, you can put me down now.” 

“No way, you’re coming with me.” Zakuro said. “You’re going to tell Byakuran just how to defeat that Vongola twerp.” 

“A) Tsuna is in no way a twerp. B) You’ve got a death wish if you take me any further. C) I’m not telling you, marshmallow-for-brains, or anyone else a thing about how to defeat Tsuna. D) Go fuck yourself.” I spat at him.  

“Very charming. I bet that’s how you got that hairy idjit to fall for you.” Zakuro said sarcastically.  

“His name is Bel, and he’s not an idiot. At least he can pronounce things right.” I said.  

“How come you’re not trying to escape?” Zakuro asked.  

“Because, any minute now, my friends, the Va—” I began.  

“~Maya-chan!~” Lussuria sang, waving and blocking Zakuro’s way.  

“Any minute now, these guys will show up.” I smiled and waved back at Lussuria. “Oi! Lussuria-chan! Get Xanxus for me, would you? He’s got an idjit to shoot!” I mocked Zakuro.  

“Like I’ll give him the chance!” Zakuro said, picking up speed.  

“Oh? Are you playing with a new friend?” Lussuria asked as Zakuro sped past him. “Well, in that case, have fun, Maya-chan! Be home for dinner, I’m making Onigiri, your favourite!” 

“No, Lussuria-chan, you’ve got it all wrong!!” I exclaimed as I was taken out of sight.  

“Oh? That’s right, I remember now! Her favourite is Ramen, not Onigiri! That’s her second favourite! Silly me.” Lussuria smiled as he absentmindedly let me get kidnapped. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like he’s dumb or anything, but, he likes to believe the best in people... and, you can blame me for that lack of suspicion. I’ve drilled it into his mind that mostly everyone is good. Maybe I shouldn’t have.   

“Welcome, Maya-chan.” Byakuran smiled, eating a marshmallow.  

“Marshmallow-for-brains...” I glared at him.   
   
“Now, now, Maya-chan, don’t be like that.” 

“Shut your mouth. I never liked you, and I’m not about to start when you decide you feel like taking over the world.”  

“You said you knew everything about this battle, right?” 

“I know everything about Tsuna. And I know just how badly they kick your ass. You can threaten them, kidnap their friends, even grow some stupid wings, and it won’t matter. Tsuna will be the end of you. There is nothing that can change that future. Nothing at all.  Zakuro is the one and only member of your team you have left. You’ve decreased in numbers, and we’ve increase in numbers. It doesn’t take a genius like Bel to figure out your odds.” 

“Tsuna is the one and only person who can possibly defeat me, right?” 

“Yeah, I think so. Reborn would be close, but not close enough. I think I could do it, too, though. But, since Tsuna is the boss of the Vongola Family, he will have the honour of ending you.” 

“What if I killed Tsuna.” 

“Then, me, along with all of Tsuna’s guardians, would tear you limb from limb, and bury you with your beloved marshmallows.”  

“Could you do that, though? I doubt you honestly have the power to do that.” 

“Don’t underestimate us, Byakuran. You’ve done it a few times before, and that’s why we successfully have kept Yuni safe until now.” 

“As you know, I like cute things. Marshmallows are cute, and I think you’re cute, too.” 

“Oh, don’t make me barf.” 

“It’d be a shame if I had to hurt you. You’d get less and less cute.” 

“Look, Byakuran, I’m not one to crack under pressure. But, before you try anything stupid that only a marshmallow-for-brains could think up, there’s something I have to tell you. I only know one version of the future. There certainly are other futures, like your parallel worlds. Things have been different from the original future I saw before, and they could be again. I wasn’t supposed to even be in this mess. I wanted to be in it, though. I wanted to help Tsuna and his family win. The only problem was the fact that I was weak. Now that I’m stronger, I can help them. Since I came into the future, I’ve changed things. I’ve changed the very personalities of the Varia... and I changed them for the better. So, if you think I can tell you what’s going to happen in five minutes, you’re wrong. But, I do know what happens at the end of the day. And that’s your funeral.”  

“What a heartwarming speech.” 

“Not even the most heartwarming speech in the world could melt the cold ice that is yours.” 

“Now, now, didn’t I tell you not to be like that, Maya-chan.” He said, putting a knife up to my throat.   
“You’ve known Tsuna for a long time, so, surely, you can tell me his weaknesses.” 

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. But, a marshmallow-head probably couldn’t decipher it, so, I’m not surprised you’re stumped.” 

“I’ve tried to be nice, but you’re forcing my hand.” 

“Actually, I’m not. If you really wanted to, you could walk away and let me go right now. But, you don’t, because you have a head full of marshmallows instead of a brain!” 

“That’s enough! If you call me a marshmallow-head one more time, I’ll kill you!”  

“I really hope Lussuria-chan has realised that it was the enemy who took me. If Flan or Mukuro or someone who isn’t busy with Ghost could come and get me, that’d be great.” 

“This is your last chance.” 

“VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Squalo yelled coming it. He’s a loud person, but not even he has been so loud in his life. 

“Squalo!” I smiled.  

“~Maya-chan!~” Lussuria sang as he came in. 

“~Lussuria-chan!~” I sang back. 

“I thought you said absolutely nobody was going to die.” Xanxus said, walking in behind Lussuria. 

“Xanxus!” I exclaimed.  

“The boss himself said he wanted to save you, so I must do as the boss wishes.” Levi said.  

“Levi.” I smiled 

“Oi, what are you doing in here, Maya-sempai?” Flan asked, coming in and looking around at the place.  

“Flan!” I laughed.  

Bel walked in next. His hair was completely covering his eyes, as usual, and his hands were in his pockets. He didn’t say anything. I could practically see the anger flaming from him. Bel looked like he was about to kill Byakuran with his pinky and look badass while doing it. But, instead, he started to talk.  

“I told you.” Bel said. “I told you this was dangerous. I told you to go home. Hell, I was still intending to send you home up until what happened at the park during Xanxus and Tsuna’s match. After that, I felt I had no right to tell you what to do. But, clearly I was wrong. You’ve had two near-death experiences in two days, and that’s a little too much for me.” 

“I’ve had enough of this!” Byakuran said, getting angry. “I didn’t work so hard to be foiled by a bunch of idiots like you!” 

Everyone in the Varia gave him deathly looks. They were filled with determination.  

“Idiots, you say?” Levi said.  

“If you think you’ll live after making enemies of the Varia, you’re the idiot.” Xanxus said.  

“No matter how we act, we are assassins by trade.” Lussuria said.  

“We could have killed you five minutes before you even noticed we were here.” Flan said.  

“But, we decided not to. And you’re damn lucky we did. You’re life has been lengthened.” Squalo said.  

“That’s over now. You’ve taken our comrade. Therefore, we’re going to fucking kill you!” Bel said, as he charged at Byakuran

“Hold your horses, I’m the one with the hostage.” Byakuran said, making a slit in the skin of my neck.  
    
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get the point, you have the upper hand. But! You’re forgetting, there is one person we can still call on. Today would be nice, Plan M!” I exclaimed. At that time, Mukuro casted an illusion, allowing me to escape from Byakuran. Before he knew it, we once again had the upper hand. “You’ve got two options, marshmallow-for-brains. You either die by the hands of the Varia, or die by the hands of Tsuna. Either way, you’re dying today, I’ll see to that.” 

“Hahaha!” Byakuran laughed. “You think Tsuna can kill me?! That’s ridiculous! Even if he did have the strength, he could never take someone’s life! You’re all so stupid to thi—” I threw one of Bel’s knives and cut some of his hair off. 

“Don’t talk about Tsuna like you know him. He will do anything for the sake of his friends. If you endanger the lives of anyone he cares about, you’re a dead man.” I said very seriously. “But, don’t take my word for it. Go fight him yourself, and then all of his troubles will be over... for now at least.” 

“That’s right, you said you knew what was going to happen. That’s the reason I took you in the first place, as I’m sure you know. So, what kind of danger is Tsuna in after he supposedly kills me? I’d like to meet and his next adversary and tell him that I personally killed Tsuna.” Byakuran said.  

“I don’t know. I only know up until the end of the day. So, go get yourself killed before we have to kill you ourselves.” I said. Byakuran finally left, and faced Tsuna. Soon after he’d gone, we all went to see how the fight was going. They were already to the part where they were pulling Yuni into the weird sky bubble thing. I watched as all of Tsuna’s guardians worried about him and Yuni. I tried to tell them he was going to live, but, no matter how many times I told them that, they tuned me out and focused on not missing a millisecond of the intense battle. In the end, Byakuran died.  

“You did it, Tenth!” Gokudera exclaimed, running up to Tsuna.  

“Good work, Tsuna!” Yamamoto smiled running next to Gokudera.  

“Are you alright, boss?” Chrome asked.  

“Don’t worry, I’ll heal him. You fought extremely well!” Ryohei said, lighting up his sun ring.  

“The bad guys gone now!” Lambo smiled and jumped around.  

“Maybe you’re not as useless as I thought.” Mukuro said.  

Hibari wasn’t there to share in the victory party.  

“Well, the worst of it is over.” I smiled. “If there was another big event in your life, I would have seen it in Katekyo Hitman Reborn. After today, you guys go back to the past, and live your lives. And, you’ll become the greatest mafia boss the world has ever know, Tsuna.” 

“I hope I can be as great as you say.” Tsuna looked down at the ground.  

“Bosses should have more faith in themselves!” Reborn and I scolded him together. 

“And remember, if there’s ever a time you need a helping hand, the Varia will always be here for you, boss.” I smiled along with my comrades. “Isn’t that right, Xanxus?” 

“I work directly for Vongola Ninth.” Xanxus sneered.  

“Come on, Xanxus, tell Tsuna what you said to Bel’s brother.” I pushed him.  

“No matter what internal conflict there is, during times of crisis, when outsider scum attack,the Vongola are one.” Xanxus said reluctantly.  
   
“Don’t forget, we fight together.” Bel smiled.  

“I see what you did there.” I smiled back at him. He’s referring to an opening theme to One Piece. 

“Everyone’s safe! You were right, Maya-chan, nobody died!” Lussuria said excitedly. My smile faded. '  
   
“There’s one last thing we have to do before Tsuna and his friends can go back to the past. We have to bring back a few people, don’t we, Yuni?” I said.  

“The arcobaleno.” Bel remembered. “So, what’s your plan?” 

“I have a plan.” Yuni said. “I can use my life energy to call them back.” 

“Nope.” I said. “That’s just not okay. You’ll die. Isn’t that right, Gamma? We can’t let her do that, can we, Nosaru, Tozaru?” 

“No! You can’t sacrifice yourself!” Tozaru objected.  

“The Giglionero family finally is reborn, you can’t die now!” Nosaru exclaimed.  

“Well, then, it’s a good thing I have a plan, too.” I smiled.  

“Only my life energy can call them back since I am the current Sky Arcobaleno.” Yuni said.  

“Gamma went with you last time. He died along side you, helping you and giving his life energy, too. If he can do it to, who’s to say I can’t help?” I said.  

“I say you can’t help. No more people than necessary can die.” Bel said. “You’re not doing anything. I’m not letting you.” 

“Let’s go, Gamma, Yuni.” I said, despite Bel. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. “Let go, Bel. Maybe, if I help them, the three of us will come out alive.” 

“Or maybe all three of you will die.” He said. “I’m not risking it.” 

“Well I am! I was put here for some reason! There’s something I have to do or change, and this is it! If I don’t do it, I’ll waste my opportunity to save the lives of Gamma and Yuni!” I exclaimed as I tried to get Bel to let go of me. He wasn’t budging. “I didn’t want to have to do this... I don’t have a choice now.” 

“What are you talking about?” Bel asked.  

“Flan...” I signaled him.  
    
“Okay, Maya-sempai. Sorry, Bel-sempai, but, Maya-sempai knew this would happen, and asked me to help her when it did.” Flan said, igniting his Hell Ring. 

“What are you thinking, Flan!? She’ll die!” Bel exclaimed.  

“Sleep.” Flan said, and the entire Varia, with the exception of me and Flan fell to the ground and started snoring. Tsuna’s family fell, too. 

“Thanks, Flan. One last thing. If I don’t make it... tell everyone how much I love them.” I said as I walked up to Gamma and Yuni. “Whenever you’re ready.” Just as it was about to start, Bel and Squalo each grabbed one of my hands. The rest of the Varia joined hands, and we formed a circled around Gamma and Yuni. Finally, Tsuna and his guardians, as well as Bianchi, the girls, Spanner, Shou-chan, and the others joined hands to form a circle around us. Yuni then took a little life energy from each of them, and successfully brought back the Arcobaleno.  

“Flan, you little lying shit.” I smiled. 

"Everyone." Yuni smiled as she started to cry.

“Stop crying, kora.” Colonello said.  

“Colonello!” Lal exclaimed and smiled. Colonello smiled back 

“Thank you for bringing us back.” Fon bowed respectfully.  

“Don’t expect payment.” Mammon said.  

“N—no! Not again! I won’t be anyone’s lackey this time!” Skull exclaimed as he panicked.  

“How are you liking those weapons I made you, Maya?” Verde asked me. “How did the testing go?” 

“Hotaru is amazing! Thank you so much, Verde-san!” I thanked him.  

“You’ve got to make me one of those, kid.” Bel said.  

“Bel...” I said, suddenly remembering that I’d tricked him.  

“FLAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!” Bel exclaimed very angrily.  

"This is bad.” Flan said, running for his life from Bel’s knives.  

“Stay still so I can cut your head in half!!!!” Bel hissed as he chased Flan in circles.  

“VOOOOOOOIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!! You idiots, we were trying to have an epic moment!” Squalo exclaims angrily. He then starts chasing Bel and Flan to make them stop, but he fails.  

“Squalo! When you run like that, your hair gets messy! Let me comb it!” Lussuria yells as he starts chasing Squalo with a brush.  

“No fucking way!” Squalo refuses, and he runs away from Lussuria.  

“Oi! You trash, how long are you going to do that for, it’s annoying!” Xanxus yells.  

“Don’t call us annoying, you shitty boss!” Squalo yells back.  

“What did you say!?!?” Xanxus says, chasing after Squalo.  

“Boss! Wait for me!” Levi said, chasing after Xanxus. Flan is being chased by Bel who is being chased by Squalo who is being chased by Lussuria and Xanxus, who is being chased by Levi. It’s an unending circle of the Varia acting like idiots running in circles and yelling at each other.  

“Am I the only sane one here?” Mammon asked.  

“Mammon!” Lussuria exclaimed and gave him a big hug. It turned out to be an illusion of him  

“VOI! You stupid brat, we’ve missed you, show yourself!” Squalo exclaimed.  

“Come on, Mammon, we know you’ve missed us, too.” Bel teased.  

“Oh, Mammon, and just a warning, after you died, I hacked into your bank account and spent all your money on clothes.” I laughed. But, Mammon didn’t come out like I thought he would. “I thought you’d be mad at me.” 

“I would be if I believed you.” Mammon said.  

“You don’t think I spent your money?” I asked, a little irritated.  

“No. If you were to spend money, you’d buy it on rings, box weapons, or anime merchandise.” Mammon knew me too well.  

“You’re right. But, I did take your money. I used it when Bel and I eloped.”  

“WHAAAAAAAT!!!!!” Everyone who could hear, even Bel, exclaimed in confusion. Mammon revealed himself.  

“AHA!” I smiled and laughed, grabbing the baby and holding him tight. “I lied. I missed you, Mammon. Welcome back.”  

“VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Squalo roared even longer and louder than usual. “Quit screwing with us, Maya!” 

“I got Mammon out, didn’t I!?” I argued.   
   
“Yeah, but you gave all of us, especially me, a fucking heart attack!” Bel complained.  

“YOU of all people should have known I was lying! Geez, is Mammon the illusionist, or am I, because I seem to be pretty damn good at it!” 

“Speaking of illusionists...” Bel yelled. “FLAAAAAAN!!!” 

“Uh-oh...” Flan sighed and then ran for his life.  

“VOOOOOIIIII!!! BEEEEL!!! STOOOOOP!!!” Squalo yelled.  

“Squalo, wait a minute!” Lussuria yelled.  

“NO FUCKING WAY!!!” Squalo yelled back.  

“Shut up, you stupid trash!” Xanxus yelled.  

“Make me, you shitty boss!” Squalo yelled back.  

“Boss! Boss! Wait for me!” Levi yelled.  

“They’re still such an unruly group...” Tsuna and Gokudera sigh as they make faces at them.  

“And that’s the way I like it.” I smiled at them all.  

“So, what’s next for you guys?” Reborn asked.  

 “Who knows? There’s no plan after this. Unless someone wants to come out with a second Katekyo Hitman Reborn, we’ll do our usual assassinations and missions. What about you, Reborn?” 

“I’ll stay with Tsuna, of course. I’m nowhere near done teaching this idiot yet.” Reborn said.   

“Oi, Reborn!” Tsuna protested to being called an idiot. “Thank you for everything, Maya-san.”  

“No, thank you, Tsuna. Keep doing what you’re doing, and everyone will be safe. Don’t you ever change on me.” I smiled and ruffled through his hair. He nodded and smiled back at me.  
“VAAAAAAAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I yelled to get their attention. They all stopped in their tracks and looked at me. “We’re going home now.” 

“There’s one place we have to go before we leave Japan again.” Bel said.  

“Where?” Flan asked.  

“Just me and Maya-chan!” Bel yelled. “Let’s go.” Bel said, and I followed him.  
    
“So, where is this place?” I asked him on the way.  

“It’s a surprise.” He smiled at me.  

“Okay.” I smiled back. We passed Namimori Middle. I thought about the Ring Conflict ten years ago. I thought about the first time I said I loved Bel. I thought about the time he slept on my lap while I watched the sunset. I thought about the first time he kissed me. I thought about the first time I met him. So many thoughts rushed through my head like they just happened yesterday. Before I knew it, Bel and I were at the playground where we broke up for the first time. “Here? Of all places in Japan, you want to take me to where we first broke up?” 

“I have to make something right...” Bel began. “We were both only sixteen when we met. Dumb little kids. This place right here was where I made my biggest mistake.”  

“You mean telling me the truth? Trust me, Bel, if you hadn’t told me that, and I had found out a few months or years later, it would have been a huge catastrophe.” I said.  

“That’s just it.. I didn’t tell you the truth. I just... I didn’t realise how much you mean to me. Ten years ago, we barely knew anything about each other. We had one week together before we broke up. Everything was crazy. There were battles, kidnappings, and everything was so high strung. You were making changes in us little by little. I meant what I said to you after my battle with Gokudera. But, you know how I was. I’m still never quick or good at saying how I feel... I felt the same as you did back then. I wouldn’t have walked away from you, either, no matter what you did. I caused those machine gun malfunctions.” He admitted. “I couldn’t deal with how fast everything was moving. I know I was part of the reason things moved so fast, but, it started to scare me that night. And, when you told me you’d never walk away from me no matter what, I believed you. So, me and my lack of communication skills decided it would be a good idea to lie and tell you I would have never spoken to you again so I could slow things down.”  

“You’re telling the complete and total truth now, right? No lying to cover anything up, no trying to slow things down, none of that?”  

“None of it. I’m telling you the complete truth.” I took a minute to think. After that minute, I decided to slap him in the face. I left a big red mark.  

“Look, I’m glad you told me the truth, but you had ten damned years to do it! Why are you only telling me now!?”  

“I thought we were over and done with that.”  

“Then why are you bringing it up again!?” 

“Before I answer, is there anything else we need to get off our chests? Anything that needs to be said should be said now.” 

“You didn’t just break my heart. You slapped it. In the face. With a chair. Made of bricks. Covered in spikes. Dipped in a mixture of poison, hand sanitizer, and vinegar. Twice. On an adrenaline rush.” 

“I can’t apologise enough for that. I can only imagine how bad I made you feel. Right after    
you—” 

“Don’t even go there.” 

“We’re done with that now. All of it. No more heartbreak, no more misunderstandings, and now we can both know for sure that we feel the same way about each other.” Bel smiled. He hopped off the jungle gym, got down on one knee, and pulled a ring box out of his pocket. I just covered my mouth and watched him. He chucked adorably at my shyness. “It’s been ten years, Maya-chan. Ten years ago, this prince met his princess. We’ve scared each other half to death, fought for each other, worried ourselves sick, and fallen in love while doing it. Now, the last of our enemies has been taken down. Katekyo Hitman Reborn is over. But, you know what they say, every ending brings a new beginning. And, just when you thought everything was going to end, I’m telling you it’s far from over. I decided to do something I know is right at the place of my biggest regret. Maybe now this place can have its new beginning, like we can. So, what do you say?” 

“Aishteru, Bel.” I smiled and cried as he put the beautiful emerald ring on my finger.  

“Well, Princess Maya Allan, welcome to the Royal Family.” He put his crown on my head.  

“That could not have been more perfect.” I said as I gave him a great big hug, buried my face in his coat, and smiled like an idiot.  

“Unless, I also give you this.” He said, taking out a bag.  

“You don’t have to get me anything else.” I smiled, but Bel insisted, so I took the bag. And, in the bag, was a manga. A manga entitled “Katekyo Hitman Reborn: Version Varia” 

“I know Katekyo Hitman Reborn mangas have disappeared, so, I wrote one. It’s Katekyo Hitman Reborn – Version Varia. You deserve to have the dream you’ve had since you were twelve come true.” 

“It’s already come true. It came true the day I met you. Even if it was just for a second, I’ve always wanted to meet characters like you guys. And for the past ten years, I’ve been living that dream.” 

“And you’ll be living that dream for the rest of your life.” 

“Therefore, I am the Otaku Princess. Only someone as extraordinary as you and the Varia would love and accept an Otaku Princess.” 

“You’re our Otaku Princess.” He smiled and then kisseds me.    
 


End file.
